Raided
by bStormhands
Summary: A Mericcup Story. Vikings and Dragons attack Scotland, Elinor and Merida shoot down Hiccup. Hiccup and Merida stop the dragon raids. Hiccup becomes King to stop the Viking raids on Scotland and marries Merida.
1. The Raid

Raided

A Mericup Story

The Raid

Aibhlinn was gutting fish in the early morning fog with her family. It had been a terrific catch and the entire village had been working hard all night to prepare the fish for preservation. They had run out of salt already, so mum was building up the fire to smoke the rest of the fish.

The smoke smelled heavy in the still air, which covered the stink of the fish guts a little.

Struan and some of his friends had gone out to the forest to get more wood, mainly branches to set the fish on. Aibhlinn liked Struan. He was a strapping lad, he made her feel a little funny inside and she tended to giggle for no reason whenever he looked at her. She was almost of age to start walking out with him. She was hoping so hard he would ask her, she tried to be near him as much as she could. He looked at her sometimes with such a gentle look on his face. Her pretty brown braids were falling apart from all the work, but she would make herself look extra good after a good sleep and everyone would celebrate the phenomenal catch.

Aibhlinn looked around, wishing Struan would drop off some more branches for their fire. It was so foggy though, a thick pea soup fog that barely let her see her Da across the fire from her. The fire made the fog a sickly yellow around them them but opaque white away from the house.

Aibhlinn saw a heavy figure walking towards them; it took her a moment to realize she didn't recognize the person. Then she noticed the sword.

Aibhlinn screamed.

"**Vikings!**" Da shouted as he knocked over a raider with the large salmon he had been about to gut.

"**Run!**" cried Mum as she bashed the Viking coming towards her with a flaming branch from the fire. Aibhlinn leapt forward to help with her little gutting knife.

"**No! Make for the forest!**" Mum cried as she fought the heavy fur covered Viking. The Viking tackled her. Mum fought back but they fell over into the fire. They both began to scream as their clothes and hair caught fire.

The girl turned; though her stomach clenched to think of running while her parents were in danger. A Viking with wild black hair stepped out of the fog. She flailed wildly at him with her little gutting knife and the fish in her hands. There was the sound of tearing fabric. He slapped her little knife away, threw her over his shoulder and ran.

Aibhlinn screamed.

"**Aibhlinn!**" cried her Father.

"**Dada!**" She wailed as she saw her father run through from behind and fall just as the fog swept around them.

She beat on the back of the Viking carrying her and fought with all her strength but she was much smaller then the hulking beast of a man. He threw her down and Aibhlinn saw stars as her head knocked into the rocks of the beach. She tried to hit or scramble away but hands grabbed her and held her limbs. She screamed for all she was worth as they cut away her dress in two efficient slices and slaves chains placed on her. They dragged her to the longboat and placed with the other captives.

Aibhlinn found herself next to Aideen, her best friend and Struan's sister.

"Oh Aideen, what is to become of us?"

"I don't know. I think they will sell us as slaves. Do you think anyone will rescue us?" said Aideen in a shaking voice.

"I don't know. I-I saw Dada die, and Mum was on fire." Aibhlinn wept.

Aideen undid their braids to cover themselves with their thigh-length hair. They held each other as best as they could, to try to comfort themselves, as they heard screams and shouts as the fighting continued.

# # #

"Your Majesties, please. You must do something. They killed my parents and most of the village, they stole my sister," said the boy in anguish. He held out a bundle to the King, Queen and Princess.

Princess Merida stood and took the bundle from the boy as Queen Elinor came and held the boy. They sat on the edge of the dais and King Fergus clumped over and said, "We'll do what we can. What is your name and where are you from, boy?"

"Struan, sire. I'm from Helmsdale." He had walked from the coast to the inland capitol of the kingdom, it had taken a few days.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, exactly. There was a fog. We had a great catch of fish the day before. The biggest haul ever. We worked through the night. It was just getting light again. I had been sent out to get wood for smoking the fish. We'd run out of salt, you see. Then there was fighting and screaming. A few adults escaped into the fog and forest. They told us to hide. I wanted to fight, but we hid until it was over. It didn't take long. So many dead, we buried them, but we know they took several girls and women." He gestured to the bundle.

Merida unrolled the bundle, it was a girl's dress sliced down the middle and arms, the sliced underwear fell to the floor.

Elinor and Fergus exchanged hard looks. Merida paled as she bent to pick up the underwear.

"They took my sister, Aideen and Aibhlinn, too."

"Who is Aibhlinn, Struan?" Asked Elinor, noticing how the boy's face changed at that name.

"She was the girl I liked. I hoped to marry her someday. Can't you do something?" He pleaded.

"I don't know," rumbled Fergus. "We don't know who did this other then Vikings. There are too many tribes and places they could have been taken to be sold as slaves."

"I found this. Would this help?" Struan held out a ripped bit of fabric with a button on it. It showed an inverted truncated isosceles triangle intersected by a hooked T-handled skinning knife.

"It might. It just might."

# # #

"By Caillech. Throwing back an invasion is easy, but how can we defend against these raids?" Fergus asked rhetorically as he paced back and forth in the upstairs sitting room. "These raids are too small and fast to gather our people to the defense. They are gone before we even know they are there."

Queen Elinor was sitting at the table, going through a book, "This button doesn't match anything we have on Vikings. This may be a new tribe trying to establish themselves."

"And how does that help us?" asked Merida. She had laid out the cut dress, and it tore at her heart to see it on the table, since it was the same color as her own. She wanted to help but didn't know where to start. She had dragged up the memories of geography Mum had taught her about the Vikings but she didn't really know all that much about them.

"If this is a new tribe they would have come for the women for brides." explained Elinor.

"Brides!? You mean marry your kidnapper!? That's awful," exclaimed Merida.

"Indeed, but when the choice is marry or die, which would you choose?" asked Elinor.

"I would rather fight and die." Merida stated fiercely.

"You would, my dear lassie," replied Fergus. "But not everyone is as brave and strong as you."

"You are very brave. Do you think they didn't try to fight?" said Elinor gesturing to the clothes on the table. "When Mor'du had you pinned to the ground and had his teeth on your head, would you not have chosen marriage, if given the chance?"

Merida bit her lip and looked away. Her guts had wound into a knot, she wasn't sure all of the sudden. "Can we get them back?"

"I don't know. They are just a collection of tribes, much like the clans, before I was raised as their king. We still have to find where this new tribe was and then try to negotiate, but if they came for wives, I don't see them giving them up," said Elinor.

"Oh," said Merida disappointed. "What are we going to tell Struan?"

Elinor and Fergus shared a look.

"The truth," said Fergus. "He deserves that."


	2. Bows

**Chapter 2: Bows**

Fergus placed a bow on the dinner table by his wife's plate.

"Fergus, no weapons on the table," Queen Elinor said out of habit not looking up from the letter she was reading.

"You know lass, I keep wondering why you say that."

"Oh, my mum always made us do that so we would take the time to talk instead of fiddle with our weapons," said Elinor.

Fergus thought for a moment. "If it is so important to talk, why do you read so much at the table?"

Elinor blinked. She looked up and looked at her husband, daughter and sons. Then she looked back at the letter and folded it up and put it away. "You're right, I should spend my time with you and not with some letters."

"Have there been anymore raids?" asked Merida.

"Not so far this week, there have been three so far this summer but putting extra men to the coastal towns aren't stopping them. We need to do something different."

"Indeed, that's why I got you this." Fergus said, pointing to the bow.

"A-a bow for me?" Elinor asked amazed.

"Cut the wood myself, though I had the bowyer shape it. Merida decorated it."

It was a beautiful slender bow with knots cut for decoration above and below the grip with a gilt DunBroch medallion on the upper limb. It was the same size as Merida's latest bow.

"Oh dear, it's beautiful, but I put down my bow when I became a lady." Elinor said uncomfortably.

"I know, but now with the threats we're facing, our kingdom needs a queen for the Highlands, not some continental fop. We need the men and women ready to fight and they need to see you as an example." Fergus said emphatically.

Elinor looked at her husband. "That is very astute."

Fergus smiled a little on one side, "I may not be a good king, but I know fighting and keeping up morale."

"You are a good king and you are getting better. Thank you." Fergus had been crashing the princess lessons and was listening. Elinor had been trying to help Fergus be a better king for a long time, but he never listened before.

Elinor stood, picked up the bow and hefted it.

Merida saw subtle changes come over her mum. She wasn't seeing the concerned mother, or the regal queen, but a younger, wilder woman whose long brown hair flowed like a cape behind her.

"Shall we go loose a few arrows?" Merida asked a little tentatively. Mum loved her so much and doing the tapestry together was fun, but it was all indoors work. She liked being outdoors, but soon winter would come, the tapestry could wait for winter.

The smile that came over her mum made Merida's heart bloom like a sunflower.

"Yes, let's."

# # #

After lunch, the royal family and their retainers went out to the archery field, the rich colors of the fall foliage warmed the cool air. Maudie was trying to keep the boys from hurting anyone, they were loosing arrows all willy-nilly, but their bows were not very strong.

Elinor fitted an arrow to her bow, set herself and loosed an arrow at the target. It struck at the edge of the red center.

"Not bad," said Merida, to her Da as they stood just behind Elinor. She was quite impressed, her mum had done better then most of the suitors.

"Ach, my calluses are all wrong." Elinor huffed. She fitted another arrow and made several subtle adjustments to her stance and grip. It had been a long time since she had held a bow, longer then her daughter had lived, but her muscles still remembered how to do it. This time the arrow landed dead center in the target.

With a smirk she drew another arrow and then she began to walk as Merida has done at her games. She loosed two more arrows at the neighboring targets, also striking them dead center.

"Much better," smiled Elinor, as Merida stood there with her mouth hanging open. Fergus grinned knowingly; his wife had been a great archer and obviously still was.

"I wonder..." said Elinor quietly, as she fitted another arrow, it had been such a very long time.

Elinor drew to her cheek, sighted down the arrow to her target. She drew the calmness around her like a cloak, a warmth bloomed in her chest. There was just she, the bow and the target. She heard nothing, yet could feel her heartbeat. Elinor willed the arrow to strike deep. She exhaled and as her heart rested between beats, she loosed.

The arrow bent under the force of the released bowstring. As it cleared the bow, the fletching caught the air and the arrow began to spin and stabilize. It flew down the field, caught the end of the previous arrow, and split it down its length, driving itself through the target to embed itself into the post holding up the target.

"What do you know? I can still do it," murmered Elinor as she lowered her bow, with a small-satisfied smile.

Elinor jumped as Merida let out a loud squeal of delight.

"You can do that too!" squealed Merida, jumping up and down.

"Do what?" asked Elinor, not sure what her daughter was going on about.

"Oh, mum." Merida rolled her eyes. "What you just did with that arrow? Didn't you see me do that at the Games?" asked Merida.

Elinor looked away trying to remember, "All I remember was being so angry at you for disrupting everything, embarrassing the lords and myself."

Merida rolled her eyes, lifted her own new bow, consentrated and after a long breath loosed, splitting her mum's first off-center arrow. The arrow passed completely through the target, and landed in the field beyond.

Elinor looked at amazement at her daughter who was grinning back fit to break her face.

"What I want to know is, how do you two do that?" Asked Fergus, coming up to them, with his heavy bow.

"Well, I just concentrate on striking the target, the end of the arrow," said Merida. Elinor nodded.

"No, not that. This." Fergus raised his great bow, half again as long as the ones the women were hefting and much thicker. His arrow struck between the two previous arrows and stopped once the head entered the target.

He trooped to the target followed by the women and asked, "How do yours go in so deep; when mine, shot with a heavier bow, does not?"

The two women looked at each other and shrugged.

Fergus turned and pointed to one of his men. "Go get a breast plate from the armory, a good heavy one." The man ran off.

"What are you getting at, Fergus?" asked the queen.

"First, I want to see if you can shoot through armor as well as a target. Second, I want to know if you can teach me to do it too."

"Da, you taught me how to shoot. I thought you already knew but just didn't bother. I usually don't since it is a little tiring," said Merida.

"No, I can't do that. I thought nothing much of it since you are so good, but since both of you can I am wondering if it can be taught. It would be a significant advantage if all of our men could shoot like that." said Fergus.

"Yes, indeed it would. Especially against the Vikings," said Elinor, thoughtfully.

Soon the man arrived and Fergus propped the steel breastplate on the target with some arrows. Fergus and the women went back to the line.

"Let's see what happens when I do it." Fergus lifted his heavy bow and the arrow shattered against the armor with a ringing Thung!

After a grunt, he gestured to Elinor.

Elinor set herself, invoked the calmness and loosed her arrow, which penetrated to the fletching at the center of the armor. A heavy sound of the striking arrow echoed back.

Then Merida did the same just above her mother's arrow.

"How do you do that?" Asked Fergus amazed.

"I just go all calm inside and really focus on shooting through the target," said Elinor.

"Everything goes all quiet and I really want to have the arrow go through the target." Merida said.

"Calm and shoot through. Quiet and really want it," rumbled Fergus, who brought up his bow and tried again. He let out a long breathe and loosed. This time the arrow glanced off the armor and wobbled into the field with a screech.

Elinor and Merida were in a huddle, talking about their feelings, calmness and a number of things Fergus just didn't get.

"If you can reach a consensus maybe you can tell me what you are talking about," grumbled Fergus.

"We're trying. We are still working out the details. We've never talked about this before and we are still figuring out how to describe it to someone else. This might take a while," said Elinor as they went back to their huddle.

# # #

Maudie was putting another plate of meat on the table. The men would doubtless be getting hungry, again. She'd been listening to the queen and the princess telling the men how to shoot an arrow like they did.

To her it sounded like something she understood. She had to go to that calm place all the time; what with the triplets driving her insane all the time.

There was a bow leaning against the table. She glanced around, and then ran her finger down it, wondering.

"Maudie!" Maudie nearly jumped out of her dress as the queen called her. "Something to drink, please."

Maudie picked up a chalice of wine and rushed over to the queen.

"How are you supposed to be calm in the middle of a battle?" asked one of the men, and many of the others grumbled about that.

"Tsk. You never have to take care of the children. I have to go to the calm place all the time with the way the boys terrorize me or I'd die." Maudie chided the man, who looked unconvinced.

"Children ain't war," the man commented.

Elinor and Merida exchanged a look.

"Maudie, come here, please." The queen asked as she handed Merida the cup.

"Yes, ma'am," said Maudie.

"Have you ever loosed an arrow before?"

"Tsk, me! Hardly." Maudie blushed.

"Would you try, please?"

"Yes, ma'am," The queen handed over her bow and gave her maid a few quiet instructions about how to hold it, and how to stand. Then asked her to go to that calm place the boys drive her to. Everyone could see her breathing calm. Her body began to relax, yet steadily held the drawn bow.

"Now see the arrow in the breastplate," said the queen.

Maudie exhaled, the arrow released itself and punched a hand span into the shoulder of the armor.

"Yehoo!" shouted Merida, jumping up and down and spinning, while the men groaned.

"Well, isn't that just grand," grumbled Fergus.

Maudie looked like she couldn't believe she even hit it.

"Thank you Maudie, you did really well," said the queen, retrieving her bow from her maid.

Maudie giggled still unable to believe it.

# # #

Fergus took a drink from his tankard as he sat behind the archery range. The boys had rigged a shield as a sled and the dogs were dragging them toward the castle, Maudie in pursuit.

Elinor and Merida had been out of the range all day, trying to figure out how they shoot arrows so they could explain it to the men. Somehow, they had taught Maudie but not the men. Fergus was a little frustrated, this ability would provide a great advantage in battle, but somehow they needed to teach it to others.

Fergus was sitting nearby listening but mostly just shaking his head, he just didn't understand. He had taught Merida to shoot but this was beyond anything he'd seen. It seemed so much like magic. He now knew that magic existed, with Mor'du, will 'o the wisps, witches and spells that changed people into bears. He shivered a little at the memory of almost killing his own wife, as she was a bear.

He listened as Elinor had watched Merida and Merida had watched Elinor and they had talked about calm places, quiet places and other things he had no idea of. Now they were standing together, describing how they were placing their feet and the angle of their hips and Fergus put down his tankard.

They were talking and moving at the same time, not following but they were like mirrors of each other. It suddenly felt spooky, like the two women were one person or something. They loosed at precisely the same moment, the arrows flew together and intersected at the target. With a loud bang, they punched through the target and even shoved it back a pace, before it fell over.

"Oh, dear," The two women said together, as they brought down their bows.

Fergus got up and stomped over to the two women. "Elinor, are you okay?"

The queen and princess turned together, but only Elinor spoke. "Yes, dear, I'm fine. But that was odd." Merida's mouth moved though she said nothing out loud.

"In what way?" Fergus asked.

"I hit it harder then I expected." Elinor was looking at him but her eyes were distant as Merida just stood there, though her mouth moved a little.

"You both hit it at the same time." Fergus said cautiously.

"Really?" Said Elinor as Merida's mouth moved silently.

"Yes. Why don't we take a break?" Fergus suggested, trying to gently snap them out of whatever it was that was happening to them.

"Okay, that sounds good. I am getting tired." Elinor agreed as Merida nodded.

"Merida, go help Maudie to pick up the tankards please."

"Sure, Da." Merida shook herself and hurried off, her hair flouncing.

Fergus just watched them for the rest of the evening, but they seemed fine.

###

"Merida, I'm going to have to cancel princess lessons today," said Elinor as Merida came into the Great Hall the next morning.

"Ah, yes, mum. Thank you," said Merida distracted. Her arm was hurting rather a lot today. She was walking carefully and not moving her arm to keep the pain from shooting from her elbow and up her neck.

She winced as she grabbed the chair by habit to try to pull back the chair but it hurt too much. She used her other hand to move the chair and then began to rub her shoulder as she sat.

"Are you hurting too?" asked Elinor.

"Yes. It feels like arrows are lodged in my arm and shoulder and neck."

"I know I feel it too. I wonder if it has something to do with how we shoot."

"Here, let me help." Piped up Fergus, who came around and began massaging Elinor's arm and shoulder. His wife squirmed under the ministrations. "I'll do you next, Merida. By the way, how did you sleep?"

"I slept like a log. I can't remember when I've slept so hard." said Merida.

"You did too dear. You hardly moved all night." said Fergus to Elinor who nodded back.

* * *

**Author's Note:** As insane as this sounds it happens in real life. Okay not the arrows but there are plenty of stories of pair programmers that sync up like this and everyone calls it spooky. I have seen and done this in other situations. Most of us know those couples that finish each other's sentences.

We see Merida show off her elective inertia power when she not only splits Wee's arrow but punches all the way through to the beam holding the target up. Notice that was the only one to go so deep even her other arrows only penetrate a short distance. Having Elinor do it too is likely as she is described as a powerful archer.

Also I have placed a limitation of what Elinor and Merida can do. They are very powerful, especially synced up like they do.


	3. Dragons

~ Raided: A Mericcup Story: Chapter 03: Dragons

"Mum, can I talk to you?" Asked Merida to the woman in a glittery green dress sitting at the table reading through some letters.

Queen Elinor glanced up regally and said, "Yes, dear. What is it?" but her eyes returned to the letter she was reading.

Merida glanced up at the crown sitting on her mother's head and then tried again. "Queen Elinor. I'd like to speak with my mum, please."

Elinor blinked and glanced at her daughter. Then she nodded, put down the letter, took off her crown and turned to face her daughter. "I'm sorry, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I was going over the harvest reports like you asked and this year's crop was very good, but there are a lot of people saying it's going to be a cold winter, and are looking to stockpile firewood. How can they know that?"

Elinor paused for a moment, frowning slightly, that seemed more of a report for the queen but she needed to be a mother for her daughter and needed that practice. "There are a number of techniques that seem to indicate what the weather will be like, the thickness of the skins on onions, caterpillar banding and the like. I'm not sure if I trust any one of them but if most of them are indicating cold then it is best to be prepared. I know a man who can tell us more. I'd better change, though."

Elinor stood and they walk up to the royal apartments.

"You have some good wood skills, Merida but farmers have different skills again for trying to understand the weather."

"Yes, mum.' Said Merida as they changed the queen from her glittery queen dress to a simpler and looser blue riding dress.

As Merida finished buttoning her mum into her dress, Elinor let out a breath and Merida could see her mother change more completely into herself. "Mum?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Can you tell me something? When you put me in that princess dress and said I looked perfect, you changed. Like you just did again. I was seeing you, mum, for the first time in years and I was wondering about that."

Elinor smiled slightly as she turned around. "I'm sorry. I told you how I had become my crown and warned you about your crown and your bow. I thought you really were perfect for once and you really were the dream I had for you. But there was some regret for not really being there for you. I wanted to tell you that I loved you and was proud of you, but I chickened out and hid myself behind the queen again." Elinor reached under Merida's red curls and cupped her daughter's cheek.

"I love you too, mum." Said Merida, hugging her mum's hand.

# # #

It was the depths of winter, the fires roared trying to keep the cold at bay, and King Fergus, Queen Elinor, Princess Merida and the boys were all wearing bearskin cloaks to hold off the freezing cold. This winter has been good weather until the Winter Solstice. Then the temperature had plunged, and it was frigid all the time now. It was a bone-gnawing cold.

The cold and snow made travel hard, but a party of heavily cloaked travelers were spotted coming up the road, so they had prepared to greet the travelers.

Lord MacGuffin and a small entourage entered the throne room, several looked to have burns. His son, Kevin MacGuffin, was carrying a large burlap-wrapped bundle.

"Sire, we have a problem. We have been invaded from the West, from over the waters of the Sea of Celts," announced Lord MacGuffin.

"Who is it this time? We had Vikings from the East over the summer." Fergus asked, rubbing his cold hands together. He loved a good fight, but what kind of crazies attacked in the middle of such a cold winter.

"Not who, sire. What." Lord MacGuffin gestured to his son who unrolled the bundle before the thrones. It looked like a four-clawed foot with iridescent scales.

Fergus rose from his throne.

"We've been attacked, by dragons," stated Lord MacGuffin.

# # #

"We haven't killed even one of the dragons, though I am proud to say that my son was able to lop off that leg, even though it flew away." Lord MacGuffin finished, after relating the story about the dragon attack.

"Dragons?" Fergus asked again. He didn't want to believe in magic but it was so obvious from the past few months that there was magic. Magic could make fighting complicated.

"Yes, sire, dragons. They have taken sheep and other livestock. They burn our houses and their hides are tougher then our arrows. Heavy wooden shields are able to deflect their fire and shouting seems to confuse them. We don't know very much about them," said Lord MacGuffin.

"There are several types of dragons. They all breathe fire. Red ones breathe a fire that flows like water. There are blue dragons that can loose spikes at targets. A lumpy brown one eats rocks and spits explosive fire. And a green one with two heads that makes things explode," summarized Lord MacGuffin.

Fergus looked to his wife, it had been a terribly cold winter and they had been wondering how to care for the people, fuel for the fires was getting to be an issue. Now there was a new war on, but not with people.

"Okay, we'll alert the other clans and take men to reinforce your lands. We'll need to send supplies as well. Get some food while we get things ready," decided Fergus.

"Thank you, sire." The clan lord and his men went to the kitchens.

"What are you going to do Fergus?" asked Elinor.

"Go and fight them," said King Fergus simply.

"Fight dragons!?" Merida exclaimed.

"Can't be any worse then Mor'du," said Fergus with a shrug.

"I killed Mor'du and I was a bear and I had to drop a giant rock on him!" Elinor explained with a grim look.

"I know." Fergus said, dejectedly.

"How are you going to fight dragons?" asked Merida.

"I don't know, but I'm the king and fighting is what I do. Young MacGuffin showed they could be hurt. That gives us a weakness to exploit."

"He's one of the strongest men in the kingdom. That would be him, you and that hunk of Dingwall's that is visiting Maudie." pointed out Queen Elinor.

Merida sighed a little at the memory of him.

"No, that is not really enough to fight so many," agreed Fergus.

"I want to come too," said Merida, seriously.

Fergus was about to crush that idea; battle was no place for a lady.

"Yes. We both need to come," stated Elinor.

"What?" Father and daughter said together in surprise.

"We are the two most powerful archers you have. We should be able to penetrate that thick hide of theirs. That is an advantage we cannot afford to do without right now."

Fergus wanted to dispute that, but knew his wife was right. He loved her too much to want to put her at risk, but they needed to stop these new invaders. He nodded.

"Do you want to take Maudie too?" He said sarcastically.

The queen considered, "Of course, someone needs to watch the boys."

Fergus rolled his eyes as he stood and clomped off to send messages.

# # #

Fergus, young Kevin MacGuffin and the hulking Hunk Dingwall were scattered across the snow covered field in front of Castle MacGuffin with a large number of men. They were attempting a zone defense in the darkness; each man had a number of warriors to assist in the fight against the dragons.

They were engaging the dragons and driving them off. Groups of MacGuffin's warriors were doing their best to defend the flocks and homes but the dragons were very large and heavily armored. Unless they attacked in a large group, too often the dragons would just flick the men away and keep attacking.

Elinor and Merida were back-to-back on top of the castle's tallest tower protecting that vital asset. Fergus had placed them there with a squad of men to protect them. They were shooting dragons individually as dragons came into range. They were scoring solid hits. They could hear the hollow thunk of the arrows hitting home on the dragons but all it seemed to do was drive the dragons away from them, which had to be good enough for now.

"Brown dragon from the North," shouted one of the men beside the women.

Merida and Elinor spun as one as they were lit by the rising dawn.

The heavy bulbous dragon was coming in low and fast; it's maw glowing with a prepared flame as it approached the group around Fergus.

Lungs and hearts moving as one the mother and daughter took aim at the monster bearing down on them.

Their bows thwanged in unison.

The dragon reared as it prepared to expel its flame. The twin arrows entered the beast's eyes, caught it in its tiny brain and it came down in an explosive crash.

The sun peaked over the horizon and the remaining dragons fled the field; each with a screaming sheep dangling in their claws.

The warriors gathered around the smoldering carcass of the downed dragon, and their breath condensed before them in the cold air.

"Well done, ladies!" Lord MacGuffin shouted congratulations to the ladies on the tower.

"Yes, they were the only ones to bring down a dragon," said King Fergus, waving to the women.

"At least someone did. It means they can be killed. My men were getting worried about them being unkillable," said Lord MacGuffin.

"We'll need to examine what's left of the body for weaknesses, but let's go inside and get warmed up," said Fergus.

"You know how to show a guest a good time for their first night over. So how often do these attacks come?" asked Fergus.

"They come about every 2-3 weeks. They've taken a lot of sheep," said Lord MacGuffin.

The men helped the wounded back to the castle, as women came searching for their sons and husbands.

# # #

"Well, Fergus, any weak points?" asked Elinor clutching her cloak closely around her against the stiff breeze. The smell of burnt dragon flesh was slightly disturbing.

The warriors had warmed up in the great hall with mulled wine and bowls of hot oatmeal and now were back out in the field before the castle where the lumpy brown dragon had crashed.

"You already figured out the eyes, not that we can see that here." Which was true, the flame had detonated in the mouth of the dragon and the front of it was badly burnt, said Fergus.

"It looks like the base of the wings are vulnerable. They are a major joint like the legs and have to move easily. The hide is thinner there." Pointed out Lord MacGuffin.

They sawed open the hide and looked inside for the vital organs.

"Okay, this is different, here in the center there are a couple of stomachs. At a guess the one with the rocks is the one it flames with. The heart is way back here and the lungs up here," said Fergus.

"Great. I've been shooting it in the wrong places," moaned Merida.

"It's okay, dear, so have I. We didn't know. The hardest part is that we can barely see well enough to shoot. We need more light so we can shoot accurately. We need more torches or something." said Elinor.

Just then the wind came up, chilling the group.

"Come on, let's get inside. It's too cold to stand out here for long," said Fergus.

"What are we going to do with the body?" asked Lord MacGuffin.

"I'm not sure. We saw that big red one lit itself on fire, so I don't think that we can burn it. It's so big, it's going to be hard to move," Said King Fergus as they walked back to the castle, he moved to place his body so his wife and daughter were protected a little from the wind.

# # #

Merida felt herself dozing over her plate after dinner in MacGuffin's Great Hall. Her parents and Lord MacGuffin had gone off to talk somewhere.

She could hear Kevin MacGuffin speaking at the other end of the table with a blacksmith. They were pointing at a piece of paper between them.

Merida had gotten to know him, as he and the other suitors came to her home to try to win her heart over the summer. But none of them had done a good job of it.

Wee Dingwall was clumsy and forward, like an eager puppy. She tried to be kind to him but she often just had to run from him. They tried to talk but Wee just wasn't very smart and the conversation would fall apart pretty quickly. He was good with the boys though. She would quite often see them playing together and would find herself thinking that Wee would make a good younger brother. Then she would sigh, but he would not make a good king or husband.

Young MacIntosh, he was a smooth one. He could cast a spell on her and be so close and she would find herself near to kissing him. She wanted to be so close to him, to let him hold her and more. She would back off, but it was so hard. However, she would see the anger in his eyes when she denied him. That concerned her. He had a certain amount of self control, but it taxed him. He didn't change who he was. He had his fangirls in her castle among the staff and mum told her how he would have his way with them and then ignore them once he was done with them, all while courting her. No, he wasn't a good choice, he would marry her and then his interest in her would disappear and he would chase after some other flipskirt. No, The kingdom needed a king that was focused on the things of the kingdom, and not his own interests.

Kevin was completely different. He was shy and reserved. It felt more like she was doing the courting then him. She would have to draw him out of his shell. He really did not feel confident in himself. He was very strong, not used to his new found strength and so was a little scared of it. He was gentle in a way she wasn't used to, and very courteous. He would see to her needs and wants. He was too shy and uncertain to be a good king, but she could see potential in him.

She had spend enough time with Kevin that if she concentrated she could usually understand what Kevin was saying through his dialect, but right now she was too tired to figure it out.

She felt so heavy and tired after the battle, and it didn't help she had been woken out of a sound sleep after a long, cold journey.

It had taken nearly twice as long to travel to the MacGuffin's lands as it would have in summer. They had had to wait out a storm before they could even leave in the first place, but the weather had been clear, if very cold, for the trip. They had two teams of men leapfrogging the main group building fires and melting snow for water for the people and beasts. They had also had to leave behind several men along the way because of sickness and frostbite.

Then before they could recover, the dragons had attacked the night they arrived. Merida was exhausted. She was thinking about excusing herself to her room to sleep, but didn't have the energy just yet. She munched on a sausage to try and give her a bit more so she could walk to her room.

Merida looked over to Kevin and the blacksmith again. Kevin was getting loud as the blacksmith was shaking his head. "Aye, I can make it, but it'll be too heavy to lift."

Kevin said something her mind translated as "Oh yeah, too heavy for me!?"

With reflexes honed by years of living with her brothers she grabbed her plate and twisted out of the way as Kevin grabbed the table and lifted it over her head. Several tankards spilled and dripped on some of the others on one side, rousing some protests from the other diners.

"Alright, I'll forge it for ye. But don't complain to me if ye can't last the day swinging it around." The blacksmith waved his finger at the son of the clan-lord.

Kevin put the table down as the blacksmith stomped off.

"What was that all about?" Merida asked the large boy. He came over and placed the paper in front of her as she put her plate back on the table.

Kevin said some words but she knew a sword when she saw it. It looked simple enough on paper, a long sword with a leaf head taking up the top third of the blade. Not much of a crosspiece and a basic round pommel but the handle seemed to be quite long at almost a quarter of the length of the overall sword.

"A sword. But what was the big deal the blacksmith was making?"

Kevin spoke enthusiastically and spread his arms wide.

"You're right that is a big sword. To take on the dragons with?" Merida asked.

Kevin nodded his face serious and said something Merida understood as "To protect my people."

"Yes, I am sure you will. But if you will excuse me, I think I better go to my room to rest before I fall over."

Kevin looked concerned, stood and offered his arm.

"Thank you. I appreciate that." Merida smiled as she put her arm through his, as he gently guided her back to her room.

# # #

"Your Majesty, wake up!" said the servant.

"Whazzit!" groaned Fergus. He was feeling old, stiff all over from fighting those dragons. They had gone to bed early exhausted from the battle. He glanced at the window and groaned, it was still dark outside.

"Lord MacGuffin asked me to wake you. There is something flying over the castle and he knew you would want to know," the servant told to the King.

"Grand, tell him I'll be right there." Fergus told the servant, who ran off.

"Okay, I can do this," Fergus said as he rolled out of bed and reached for his peg leg.

"I'll wake up Merida," said Elinor, also getting out of bed.

"Oh, leave her be, woman. She needs her rest," Fergus said as he fitted his leg on.

"We all do, but if it's another dragon I will need her to help take it down," said Elinor picking up her bow.

"Do you think you can bring it down?"

"Aye, but only one or two shots tonight," Elinor said, slowly and carefully stretching her arm trying to warm it up.

"Alright."

# # #

King Fergus and his family, Lord MacGuffin and his son crept quietly onto the roof of the tallest tower. There was the shadow of something flying above them that blacked out the stars in the sky. Then it landed near the body of the brown dragon; a dark mass on the white snow.

Everyone was surprised to see what looked like a rider dismount and walk to the body. Was this some kind of Dragon-lord; someone who controlled the dragons and sent them after the MacGuffins?

Fergus pointed at the women's bows and then the dragon. Merida and Elinor fitted arrows to their bows.

The man remounted the low-slung dragon and they flew toward the castle. The women looked to the king, who nodded. Mother and daughter rose beside the battlements, and aimed for the center of the black shadow. It was too dark for anything else.

As one, the two women set themselves, and loosed, but a badly tied fletching on Merida's arrow made a loud buzzing sound in the darkness. The dragon banked and twisted but there was the solid sound of the arrows striking home.

The dragon screeched in pain and wobbled into the forest beyond the castle.

"Quickly, men! Torches and weapons!" shouted Lord MacGuffin. Doors crashed open as warriors streamed out of the hold of the castle and out the gates. They ran into the forest searching for the downed dragon.

# # #

Merida followed her Mum and Da into the night wrapped forest; she had an arrow out for her bow, but she was slipping as they dashed through the snow. Warriors held up torches searching for the dragon and rider they had taken down.

A warrior near the end of the line called and waved his torch, they followed the line of broken trees to a large black lump at the base of a snow, and moss covered boulder. The smaller figure was moving near the wing of the dragon.

"It's going to be okay, buddy," Merida heard a muffled voice.

As the warriors with their swords and shields surrounded the two figures, the smaller black figured turned.

Merida yanked the arrow to her cheek. She could hear her mum's bow creak as it too was fully drawn. The creature looked like a troll from the old stories, in the flickering torchlight. It had dark leathery skin, a wide gaping mouth and dark hooded eyes. It's hands only had a thumb and one large finger that was holding a wound on it's arm.

"What are you?" rumbled Da, his sword leveled at the smaller creature.

Merida almost loosed her arrow as the creature grabbed its mouth and flipped its head back, but it only revealed a teenager with a horned helmet. "I'm a Viking. My name is Hiccup and I won't hurt you."

Fergus put his hands out to lower the bows of Elinor and Merida who were on each side of him.

"Why have you been attacking us?" growled Fergus.

"I haven't. I was taking a survey of the new dragon nests and found one that had gone missing. I've been searching for them for some time." said Hiccup.

"What are the meaning of these attacks?" asked Fergus.

"I have not been attacking you. I've been tracing changes in dragon migrations. The cold has been forcing dragons away from their normal feeding grounds. This winter has been much harsher then normal, and they are going further afield to find food," said the boy, Hiccup.

"How did you know that they had been here?" asked Fergus.

"I didn't know. Toothless saw that Gronkle carcass in the field, back there," Hiccup gestured.

"Why were you looking?" asked Elinor.

"There are a number of dragon nests we have found, but there are more dragons then we have resources to deal with all at once. We're training them as fast as we can."

"Training them?" Fergus asked aggressively, stepping forward.

"To not attack humans," explained Hiccup quickly, putting his mittened hands out. He could see that the leader was thinking about using them for war. "They aren't really all that dangerous. They just want food and to make more dragons, just like everyone else. I was keeping an eye on some nests and found one that had disappeared. I've been searching for weeks, looking for the nest or a new feeding ground."

"Well, you've found their new feeding ground, at least," rumbled Lord MacGuffin sarcastically.

"Well, that's good, though I am sorry they are feeding off your people. I'm also sorry for scaring you. It looked dark." Hiccup responded.

"I'm sorry for injuring you and your dragon. It seems like you are trying to do good," said the brunette woman.

"I am trying. They fed off my people for three hundred years and it isn't something we would wish on our worst enemies," said Hiccup.

"You can help stop these attacks?" Fergus asked incredulous.

"I should be able to," said the teen.

Merida looked to her parents. She thought the teen seemed quite sincere. She could see her Da gazing at the boy, weighing him. Da looked at Mum, who nodded.

"I'm King Fergus, this is Queen Elinor and our daughter Merida. Over there is Lord MacGuffin, whose lands these are. Let's get inside where we can care for your injuries."

"Thank you." The teen turned to his dragon and helped it limp forward, "It's going to be okay, Toothless."


	4. Getting to Know You

~ Raided: Chapter 04: Getting to Know You

* * *

The black dragon stood and began limping its way behind the humans. It could not close one wing completely because of the injury. Fergus had MacGuffin's son and the Dingwall hunk flank the dragon, ready to take it down if it tried anything as the rest of the warriors surrounded the dragon and the Viking.

As they entered the lit great hall, the thump of Fergus' peg leg and the squeak of Hiccup's artificial leg resounded in the empty space. Their eyes met, the question was obvious.

"A demon bear. It attacked my wife and daughter," said Fergus.

"A dragon. To defend my tribe," said Hiccup.

Fergus nodded, a slight respect grew between them.

Once inside the Great Hall, Elinor ordered space made for the dragon to lie down, and extra candles and torches brought for light so they could care of the wounded. The servants were giving the dragon a wide berth and many warriors stayed nearby to guard the dragon and the teen.

"I've got to take care of Toothless." Hiccup protested as Merida tried to sit him down at a table near one of the fires.

"Since you're the only one able to care for him, let us care for you first so you can." Elinor said as she came up to them with her sewing basket on her elbow.

"Here now. Let me help you with your coat." said Merida. Merida could see that his arm had been sliced by an arrow and wondered if it had been hers, as she helped him remove his gear. It took some effort for Hiccup to shed his heavy leather flying gear, being careful not to move his arm too much.

"What are you doing?" Hiccup said swatting at Merida's hands as she began unlacing his shirt. Toothless raised his head and several warriors stood and brought their weapons to bear on the dragon. Fergus began to move forward to protect his family.

"Easy. Easy," warned Merida. "We need to stitch up that arm of yours. We can't do that with your shirt on and it's all covered with blood anyway."

"Okay, but it's pretty cold in here." Hiccup grumbled. Toothless put his head down on the floor again and everyone relaxed.

"It is, so quit whining and let's get this over with then you can cover up." Merida said, though she was able to learn some things about the teen boy in front of her. He was young, just sprouting chest hair. He was a hard worker with his chest and arm muscles sharply defined. His hands and forearms were covered with many small burn scars. She wondered if that was from raising dragons, surely that was dangerous. It reminded her of the scars on the blacksmiths.

"This is going to sting a bit," said Merida, as she cleansed the wound with wine.

Hiccup hissed in pain as the wine ran over his open wound but he'd hurt himself worse in the smithy back in Berk.

Elinor's deft fingers stitched it up; Merida covered it with honey before bandaging it and placing it in a sling.

"Thanks," said Hiccup.

"Now, let's take care of your dragon." Elinor said.

They moved to the dragon that had been watching intently nearby.

"It's okay buddy. We're going to take care of you." Hiccup said, patting Toothless on the side before moving to the injury. The feathers were sticking out of the entry wound, which Hiccup pulled free.

"That's three feathers so there shouldn't be any left inside him." Merida said.

"Good, that'll make things easier." Elinor commented.

The arrow had entered the dragon on the belly side, travelled through the muscles of the side and was poking out under the wing, it seemed to have missed the major organs. With the head exposed, it was relatively easy to remove the arrow just by pulling it through, though it took MacGuffin's son to do it, as he was so strong. Toothless roared in pain as Kevin pulled out the towel wrapped arrow. Several people peeked out of corners to see what had made the great roar. Rumors of a live dragon in the castle were one thing, seeing it was another.

Merida staunched the flow of fresh blood with bandages, as Hiccup comforted his dragon.

"Hiccup, I think it would be best to leave these wounds open so they can drain. I don't think my needles could get through that hide anyway. We'll cover them with bandages and keep them clean. Will that be enough?" Elinor asked.

"Yes, that should work." Hiccup said tiredly, though the sun was finally coming in the high windows.

With rope and plenty of bandages, they covered the wounds and let the dragon sleep.

"We should put you in bed to rest, Hiccup." Elinor said.

"Nah. I'll stay here with Toothless, but a blanket would be nice." Hiccup said picking up his helmet.

"Coming right up." said Merida, turning to find a servant.

"Very well, I'll have a cot set up for you. It will be noisy here." Elinor warned as she waved to a servant.

"I'll be fine." Hiccup yawned.

"Maudie, I want you to keep your bow with you at all times!" Elinor called as she saw Maudie herding the boys down for breakfast, though they stopped dead in their tracks as they saw the great black dragon. "We don't know how often these dragon attacks will come."

"Actually, dragons tend to raid every fifteen days, at least at our village. They were pretty consistent for nearly three hundred years," said Hiccup.

"Oh? Well, that is handy to know," said Elinor.

"No problem." said Hiccup settling down near Toothless, he tipped his helmet forward to shield his eyes, but he could see all the guards eyeing him. Merida got a blanket from a servant. Of course, it was terribly scratchy wool but at least it had a soft fur edge. She put it over Hiccup, and he and his dragon curled up together.

# # #

"Merida!" called Queen Elinor her bow slung over her shoulder. Her quiver was full of fresh arrows.

"Yes, mum?" Merida looked up to Queen Elinor on the second level of the Great Hall.

"Your father wants to speak to us in Lord MacGuffin's office. Come now, please."

"Yes, mum." said Merida as she picked up her bow and ran upstairs. There were plenty of guards in the Great Hall but Merida and Elinor were taking turns watching the boy and his dragon. If the Viking was to try anything, the women were to take out the dragon.

Merida came into the office and her father gave her a nod as she noticed that her family and the other leaders were crowded around a table in the middle.

"Thank you all for coming. We learned a lot from that engagement and we need to adjust how we are going to defend ourselves. This is not a siege in the human sense. The dragons don't care about the people; they want the livestock. Since they can fly, they can ignore the walls. Elinor, Merida, I want you on this high ground over here, this will give better coverage of the pens and stables." said Fergus

"It would help if we had better light," said Elinor.

Fergus scanned the map that was on the table that showed the castle grounds. "How about a bonfire on top of these towers?" Fergus asked Lord MacGuffin pointing at a couple of large towers near the stables.

"Aye, that can do it. We'll have to reinforce the roof and add a slate platform, but it will do the job. It will take a lot of firewood though. We're going to have to gather more. This cold has used a lot of resources," said Lord MacGuffin.

"Get on that, make sure they are well armed, just in case." Fergus advised.

"Hiccup said we should expect another dragon raid in fifteen days." Merida said.

"That may be, lass, but he is a Viking and rides a dragon. We can't trust him. After the Viking raids last summer we need to watch out for ourselves. We may be able to use him as a hostage to stop the raids." Fergus stated.

Merida nodded; they had only known Hiccup for a very little while. He seemed sincere, but they had nothing to prove his word against. The memory of Aibhlinn's sliced clothes hardened her heart against him. Vikings were vicious monsters.

Merida listened as her father continued to outline the plan for the next battle with the dragons.

# # #

Merida spent the morning in the Great Hall keeping an eye on Hiccup and his dragon as they slept. He looked so young, but his eyes said he had seen a lot, very little of it pleasant.

Merida wasn't alone in the Great Hall, there were plenty of guards, though their main job was to give her time to take up her bow and kill the dragon herself. However, few people came to the Great Hall with the dragon there, though a few came to peek, like her brothers. They and Maudie just stared for a long time before going off to play somewhere else.

Now that the sun was up, she didn't want to sleep again. Naps tended to make her feel all fuzzy headed, but she was planning to go to bed early tonight.

Merida sat near the fire and let her body take in the warmth that helped relax her aching muscles.

Near lunchtime, Hiccup woke up and looked around.

"Good morning." Merida called from across the large room.

"Still morning?" asked Hiccup, as he pushed himself up with his good arm.

"Barely, it's almost lunchtime. Are you hungry?"

"I could eat." Hiccup shrugged, but winced as his arm reminded him that it was still hurt.

"Does your dragon need anything?"

Hiccup gave Toothless a pat. "Nah, we ate yesterday on the coast, he'll be good for a few days."

"Good, so what does he eat?"

"He likes fish. Cod and salmon mostly."

"And what do you like, Hiccup?" asked Merida

"Fish is fine, as long as it's cooked." He said, coming over to the girl.

Merida gave him a sidelong glance as she waved to a serving girl who turned toward the kitchen. "Cooked? Do people eat it raw where you are from?"

Hiccup gave a small laugh; someone noticed his admittedly small joke. "Hardly, though Toothless regurgitated a raw fish I gave him and made me take a bite and swallow."

"Oh," said Merida with a small shiver.

"He was sharing the food I gave him back with me as a way to show friendship."

"Really?" asked Merida, looking more closely at the boy.

"Yeah. It wasn't like he had anything else. We were both trying to give friendship a chance. I didn't kill him when I had the chance and he didn't kill me when he had the chance. I thought it was worth a shot to give him food and he gave me a share right back."

"So what would you like to eat? We have meat, sausage and haggis." asked Merida, pointing to the various things on the plate the serving girl left before him.

"What's haggis?" Hiccup poked at the dark round thing on his plate.

"Oh, it's meat, onions and oats, stuffed in a sheep's stomach. It's good." Merida smiled broadly.

"Sure." Hiccup shrugged.

Merida watched as Hiccup dug into his haggis and ate the whole thing.

"You know, most people have a hard time eating their first haggis," commented Merida.

"It's fine, after raw fish and Astrid's yak nog, and weeks of travel rations this isn't bad." Hiccup said offhandedly, but he was beginning to suspect that Merida had been playing a trick on him.

"Yak nog?"

"You don't want her yak nog. She's not a very good cook," cautioned Hiccup, his face serious.

"I'll keep that in mind."

There was a lull in the conversation as she checked his wound.

"You're not very big for a Viking."

Hiccup groaned, Toothless opened his eyes to check on his rider, but he could see the girl checking Hiccup's arm. "Tell me about it. No, I'm not. My father is as big as your father, but I'll probably not grow up all that big."

"I'm sorry." Merida could tell that looked to be a sore point for the young man. "But you do ride a dragon."

"Yes. Yes, I do," said Hiccup gently looking at Toothless.

"We've been invaded by Vikings before, there were raids over the summer." Merida said.

"It wouldn't have been my tribe, we've been busy fighting dragons for the past 300 years; no time for raids. There are many tribes though." Hiccup said, but the conversation died.

# # #

"...I punched Mor'du in the face, but he just picked me up like a rag doll and threw me across the circle. Merida shot him but he just charged her down, I was trying to crawl my way over but I was too slow. I could see his jaws clamping down on her head. Then Elinor, who was still a bear, threw off the clans and charged Mor'du. Their fight made the earth shake. Mor'du kept trying to get back to eat Merida. Elinor kept pushing him against one of the megaliths. Mor'du threw her off, and charged but the rock was broken and crushed him. His spirit rose through the rock and thanked Merida for breaking his curse. He was the prince from the ancient kingdom, and then Merida apologized and told Elinor that she loved her and broke the spell. Elinor and the boys were human again. And I've never been more happy to have my family around me in my life," said Fergus, finishing off another tankard.

Hiccup took a swig from his own tankard to give himself time to digest that story. Demon bears, witches, and magic spells. He almost had to remind himself that this was all quite real. The pain in his arm was evidence of that. Besides, what could he say against it, he rode a dragon?

"That is an amazing story. You are all very brave." Hiccup commented, though he wondered about the women's side of the story. Their occasional indulgent smiles said there was some exaggeration going on, but their seriousness at the end was a concern.

"So what's your story?" asked Fergus.

Hiccup leaned back. The room was warm after dinner, though the fire was low.

Hiccup had spent most of the day in the corner of the Great Hall with Toothless. Everyone was giving them a wide berth, except the guards. Toothless was spending most of his time asleep, healing from the wound. Hiccup would have liked more sleep but his arm hurt too much and the Highlanders were keeping a close watch on the both of them, which made it too hard to rest.

All in all, he just tried to keep a low profile, or as low a profile as he could with a sleeping Night Fury next to him.

Merida and Elinor had come by a few times to make sure he was okay. King Fergus and Lord MacGuffin had been by a few times too. He had spotted three redheaded children that kept looking at them, they had similar wild hair to Merida's and he wondered if they were related.

Then the Great Hall had filled for dinner, though there was a huge gap between the diners and the dragon.

Merida waved him over for dinner and he found himself sitting across from King Fergus.

Hiccup looked back at Fergus, MacGuffin and his son. He took a sip of his ale; it was fruitier then what they made in Berk, to stall a little bit more. It wasn't that he couldn't tell his story but that this audience for once seemed to care about it without already knowing it. He always told everyone else's story, because he wasn't all that special. Maybe he could try telling his story from his point of view, instead. He was an outsider here as well, but it seemed safe enough to tell them his story.

"Alright. But a little background first since you haven't been fighting dragons like we have. There are many kinds of dragons but what you've seen is typical of a raid. I've spent my whole life trying to be a good Viking and kill a dragon. Killing a dragon gives you status, the bigger and tougher the dragon the more status points you can earn. My father killed a dragon when he was just a kid; he's killed the most dragons on record. You can get status other ways too, doing your job well, bringing in a good kill hunting or fishing. You can lose status by messing up."

The men nodded, they understood that, that was standard stuff.

"I pretty much had negative status because I messed up so much. I've been hunting dragons for years, killing even a Terrible Terror would mean I was a person and not a child anymore."

The men exchanged questioning glances.

"A Terror is a small dragon about the size of a dog. Not a big deal by themselves but they come in packs." Hiccup filled them in.

The men nodded again.

"I was my dream to take down the highest status dragon we knew about, the Night Fury." He gestured to Toothless who was asleep on the other side of the Great Hall.

"All so I could get enough status to try dating Astrid, the most amazing girl near my age. I wasn't strong enough to use any of the standard weapons, so I had to build my own. Not all that hard when you are the apprentice to the blacksmith and somewhat smart."

Merida gave him a look that told him, she thought Hiccup was more then somewhat smart.

"Most messed up. A few damaged the village. None brought down a dragon, though I think I got close. Finally, I created the Mangler after one crazed weekend long building session. It worked too." Hiccup paused to sip his ale and assess his audience. They were intent and serious, almost solemn. Not the laughter they always gave him in Berk. It was throwing him off balance.

"I did bring down a Night Fury, the first one ever brought down, but no one believed me, since none of my other inventions had ever held a dragon. I searched alone and finally found him. Wrapped up in the bola and totally helpless. It was my dream come true. It was still alive but all I had to do was cut out his heart and take it to my father and he would believe me and all my troubles would be over and I would be able to date Astrid."

"But you didn't. Why?" asked Fergus, wanting to know more about the character of this Viking boy.

Hiccup wasn't looking at them but back at Toothless. "Because I saw in his frightened eyes, the same fear I had. I saw myself.

"So I cut him free, I expected him to fly off. That wasn't what happened. He pinned me down, I was sure he was going to blast me, but all he did was roar loud enough to make my ears ring for a few days and fly away. The next day in dragon training, I was told that dragons always go for the kill, always, but I wondered, why didn't the Night Fury. He had me, but didn't kill me." Hiccup turned back to the table.

"I found him trapped in a cove, I had damaged his tail and he couldn't fly anymore. It took time but we became friends. I repaired his tail and we learned how to fly together. The things I learned from Toothless allowed me to excel in dragon training. I was gaining a lot of status by defeating dragons without even killing them, but that was driving Astrid crazy." Hiccup smiled lopsidedly.

The men chuckled, though MacGuffin's son, Kevin, just looked around nervously, as Hiccup sipped his ale.

"I won dragon training, and for that, I earned the privilege of killing a Monstrous Nightmare in a cage match. I knew I couldn't do that. I didn't want to kill dragons anymore. We'd been hurting each other for so long and I wanted it to stop. I was fully intent on leaving my home forever, but Astrid found me in the cove. She roughed me up for besting her in training. Then Toothless woke up and defended me, but I got them both to calm down. I tried to explain to her, but she didn't understand and went to tell the others. We chased her down and I wanted to show her that dragons weren't dangerous, but Toothless had other ideas. He tried to throw her into the ocean, but he stopped when she apologized."

The other men shared a look. Hiccup just shook his head, and didn't see Merida looking all offended and jealous.

"Then we shared a magical flight through the clouds and stars, but then Toothless heard the call of the Death and took us to the nest. Where we learned that the dragons are controlled by it and it will eat them if they don't bring back enough food. It could also smell us. We barely got away. Astrid wanted to tell my father right away, but that would have put Toothless in danger and I didn't want that. So that night I came up with a new plan."

Hiccup slung back the rest of his ale.

"I would take the final and show them. I would show them all, the entire village, that dragons were not the danger we always though they were. I almost did too, but Dad freaked out which freaked out the Nightmare, who attacked me. Astrid and Dad tried to save me, but it took Toothless to make the Nightmare back down, but then Dad attacked Toothless and Toothless almost killed Dad. By the time it was all over, Toothless was captured, the location of the dragon's nest revealed and Dad disowned me as his son and a Viking."

Hiccup looked away in pain. Merida gasped, as she understood. Fergus gave Kevin a look and Kevin placed a fresh tankard in front of Hiccup. Hiccup was remembering why he never told this story. He took a big gulp of ale to try and do something about the remembering.

"Then Dad emptied the village of anyone who could fight, leaving only about a couple dozen of the young and the aged behind. I watched from the top of the cliff as they took my only friend and sailed off. They were all going to die. I knew that the Death could utterly destroy them and they wouldn't be able to stop it. There was nothing I could do without Toothless. We were all going to die, the entire tribe. None of the adults would come back and no one was left in the village strong enough to keep the food safe to make it through the winter. No boats to go anywhere else. It was over. All over. Then Astrid was there talking at me. She wanted to know why I did what I did, because I was scared; Toothless was scared, everyone was scared."

Bleak barely described the pain in Hiccup's voice. He took another desperate gulp of ale.

"But through all that talking she reminded me that I was the first Viking to ride a dragon. I then had the idea of taking one of the training dragons to go get Toothless, but the rest of the trainees showed up too and we all got on the dragons and went to the nest. We got there just in time to see the Death burst out of the volcano and rout our tribe. I set them to distract the Death until I could free Toothless. We almost drowned but my dad rescued us, both of us. He actually said he was proud of me."

His smile lit up the room, but his speech was slurred from all the ale.

"Dad's proud of me. He shaid I wasn't a Viking. I washn't his son. But I showed him, rescued him and everyone. He shaid he was sorry. He's proud to call me son." Hiccup held up his tankard and the others knocked theirs together with his. Everyone could see just how important that was to the boy. They drained their tankards and Hiccup wiped his mouth and face with the back of his sleeve.

"The Death could fly. It bashed its way through rock, barely slowing down. Toothless and I, we hid in the clouds. Night Furies hide really well. Toothless shot at the wings, making holes. That made it angry. It flamed the whole sky. It got us. The tail I made for Toothless was on fire. It was now or never. We taunted it and dove for the ground. It was angry. It was going to flame us. Toothless shot first. It was on fire on the inside. Then we came out of the clouds. It tried to pull up. Its wings ripped like a hundred sails on a stormy sea. We turned around only a-a few hundred feet from the ground."

Hiccup was showing with his good hand how they maneuvered.

"It hit the ground and ashpolded. Then we were just trying to out fly the fire. Almost made it. But Toothless' tail burned away, couldn't maneuver. Ran into the Death's tail. Harness broke. Couldn't hang on. Fell into the flames and darkness. Woke up mush later, at home, with Toothlesh and thish."

Hiccup propped his prosthetic on the table.

"A fair price. Shoulda died. I should be so dead. Toothless saved me. Then helped me walk again. I went outshide. There were dragons in the village. I was shure I was dead. I was expecting Hel, but it was too beautiful. I doubted Valhalla or Folkvangr would want me, I'm nobody. It seemed so much like home I thought it was Helgafjell." Hiccup shrugged.

Fergus and the others looked at each other. Why wouldn't the otherworld want such a great warrior?

"They welcomed me home. They were happy to shee me. Ashtrid hit me for scaring her but she kissed me for everything else." Hiccup had a goofy smile on his face remembering that.

Then the smile faded. "That night we held the funeral for the dead. So many had died fighting the Death. So many, so many. Coulda been worse. Shoulda been worse. Dad never listened. Shoulda all died. All of uss."

"Hail the fallen," intoned Fergus and the others as they drank.

"Hail the fallen." said Hiccup, taking a gulp of ale.

"I wash a real Viking, though. I shaved them, mosht of them. Proved that I wash a Viking. Ash badash ash they come! Jusht like them. Better! Yeah, better." announced Hiccup, swinging his tankard around after emptying it.

Hiccup dropped his arm and the tankard make an empty, hollow sound, like a broken heart. "But nobody noticshed, again." He bowed his head and then he slumped forward.

"A real Viking." Said Fergus gently. He stood and carried the Viking boy over to the cot next to his sleeping dragon. After covering the boy, he found Merida being comforted by Elinor and the others looking somber. They had breached a barrel of the strong ale, to try and make the Viking drunk, in order to learn who he was, what he knew and what value he might have. What they learned was far, far different then what they had expected.

"Let's go to bed. Tomorrow might be busy." Fergus said, his arms hanging by his sides, not really looking at anyone.

* * *

Author's Note: Valhalla and Folkvangr are Viking heavens, half of warriors that fall in battle are chosen by Odin to go to Valhalla and half by Freya to go to Folkvangr. Helgafjell is a mountain paradise afterlife where they would lead lives similar to their living lives with a warm hearth, drinking and talking. Hel is the Viking version of hell for those do died of old age or disease.


	5. Show Me Who You Are

~ Raided: A Mericcup Story: Chapter 05: Show Me Who You Are

Merida was tiptoeing through MacGuffin's dark castle a hand on her belly and the other on her shoulder.

It was quite late but she wanted to get to the kitchen, it should be nice and warm there. She also needed some Chamomile tea to calm her down, a terrible nightmare had woken her up.

Merida also couldn't sleep from the soreness in her shoulder. She had never fired that many arrows as she and her mum could do for so long or so quickly. It had drained her and her arm and shoulder seemed so much more tired then the rest of her. She had never really thought about how she fired her arrows or what effects it had on her. She had talked to mum and all they could do was rest and recover as fast as they could.

Hopefully, no more dragons would raid the MacGuffin's lands for a few days. Da had massaged her and mum, which had helped but her blankets had slipped while sleeping and the cold air had stiffened her up again. She was going to the kitchen hoping the hearth was still warm, that should help.

The Great Hall was mostly dark, a small torch by the kitchen door scattered its small light in the vast space.

There was a great blackness to one side. The dragon. Somewhere the rider, Hiccup, was sleeping, but she could not see him in that dark corner, though the bandages on the dragon were visible.

The guards were sleeping as they leaned against the wall. Were Hiccup and his dragon dangerous? Yes, but they didn't feel like a threat anymore.

She moved silently through the hall but the dragon, Toothless, had heard her and his head was up and watching her as she passed. It was a little disconcerting seeing those huge eyes following her so easily.

The story the Viking had shared was awe inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. He sounded like a hero but held such pain inside him. Merida thought she had hid great pain, being trapped by her mother's rules, but it was as nothing compared to his. The clan liked her and so did her brothers and father, she only had issues with her mum.

She wanted to continue to be angry at him because he was a Viking, but all she felt was pity for him. It looked like no one in his entire tribe loved Hiccup. How had he survived?

She was a little angry and offended at his tribe for being so mean to him. He seemed like a great person, selfless and strong, always fighting against terrible odds.

Oddly, she felt jealous of the girl who got to ride with Hiccup. She hadn't deserved it, beating up Hiccup for winning. Hiccup deserved better. She wanted to ride with him too.

Then she heard whimpering. The dragon looked down and Merida stopped. The dragon lifted his wing and she could now see Hiccup twitching under his blanket. It was obvious he was having a nightmare.

Merida wanted to help him, but the dragon made her wary. The dragon nuzzled his rider but Hiccup didn't wake. Toothless looked at Merida, she took a step toward them and seeing no adverse reaction came closer and gave Hiccup a shake.

He sat up with a strangled grunt. After a few breaths, he saw Merida.

"Are you okay? You drank quite a bit last night," asked Merida, smelling the ale on him.

"Not really," moaned Hiccup, holding his head.

"It was a nightmare, wasn't it?" asked Merida kindly.

"Ah, yeah." said Hiccup grabbing his helmet and putting it on.

"Want to talk about it?" Merida asked, wanting to help, because she needed help.

"Nah." Hiccup put his arms around his knees. Toothless gave Merida a look and warbled. Merida bit her lip. Was the dragon encouraging her?

"Mind if I tell you mine? I had one too. I usually tell my mum, but I don't want to wake both of them up. They need to sleep tonight, if how I am feeling is anything to go by," said Merida as she sat on the end of the cot. She didn't really want to tell something like this to this Viking, but she was feeling like she was going to come apart if she didn't tell someone soon, her eyes were blurred from her fear.

"Ah, sure," shrugged Hiccup.

"We were in the stone ring in the forest. The clans had captured my mum, tying her to the stones. I was fighting my Da, he wouldn't stop trying to kill my mum. So I...killed my Da. Then the demon bear, Mor'du, came and slaughtered the clans. I tried to stop him, but my arrows did nothing. He grabbed my hair, threw me around like a rag doll and broke my back over a rock. I couldn't move. Then he raped my helpless mum as I watched, she was screaming and I couldn't help her. My little brothers came over and ...began eating me." Merida shivered as she bent over put her hands on her stomach as she remembered the tearing feeling in her guts the nightmare had left her with, but the feeling was beginning to fade quickly.

Hiccup put his hand on her knee. He was a little pale; that was a very serious nightmare. "It's okay, it was just a nightmare. You're fine and your family is fine."

Merida wiped her eyes and said, "Thanks. It didn't even happen that way. I did defend her without killing my Da and Mum killed Mor'du."

"And here I thought dealing with dragons was exciting."

Merida blew out a weak laugh.

"My nightmare wasn't quite so bad, and thankfully it wasn't my worst." Hiccup took a breath, "I was dreaming that my entire village was walking past me. They were all burned, crushed, slashed, but they were walking into the burning funeral boat. My entire village was dead."

Merida put her hand on his hand.

"We really did lose about ten percent of the population of the village in the final battle where I lost my leg. I was unconscious for days, but I woke up in time for the funeral. I should have been faster. I wasted too much time on myself." Hiccup berated himself, slamming a fist into his good leg.

"I'm sorry. You saved most of your people; sometimes you can't save them all, mum told me that. We also lost a few warriors to Mor'du, before mum killed him." said Merida.

"I'm sorry too. I'll do what I can for your people. Dragons can be trained to live with people. Usually they avoid people, but this winter has been brutal even for us Vikings. Without the dragons helping us get fish and stay warm, we wouldn't have enough food or fuel to make it though this bad a winter. My best guess is this nest of dragons ran out of food and came here looking for something to eat. They will raid every few weeks until something changes. Hopefully, Toothless and I will be healed up enough to do something next time."

"You will and thank you again for helping. I was going to the kitchen, want to come?" Asked Merida, feeling much better.

"Sure." They helped each other up and went into the warm kitchen for warmth and comfort.

# # #

The next few days were quiet as everyone recovered from the dragon raid. Hiccup spent most of his time sitting near Toothless just talking and checking his wounds, writing his observations about the Scots in his notebook, and generally being his quiet self.

Hiccup knew he was a prisoner, and had expected to be treated worse by Scots. Now, he figured that the stories were wrong, just like the dragons. He didn't find himself surprised by that.

The chill between the Highlanders and the Viking and his dragon faded slightly as they got used to each other's presence. Somehow being a prisoner among the Scots felt better then being an outcast in his own village.

Merida and Elinor would care for the wounds they had inflicted on the pair, with Fergus watching as the dragon slept quietly. It didn't take long for Hiccup to not need the sling any more, though he tended to move his arm carefully. Toothless would wake from time to time and Hiccup would encourage him to open his wings but the dragon would grunt in pain before he could fill the Great Hall with his wings.

Then Hiccup had caught the royal boys sneaking close to Toothless when it looked like no one was about and the guards sleeping at their post. They soon became friends and the boys would sneak Toothless snacks of dried fish.

While Merida still had princess lessons with her mum, she was given the duty of caring for and keeping watch on the Viking teen. Hiccup was a good, polite person; so unlike the Vikings they had encountered in raids and invasions. Her Da warned her to not take him to anywhere sensitive within MacGuffin's castle, but once they found out he was the apprentice blacksmith in his village, she got permission to take him to the smithy. Merida talked with the smith and arranged a time to visit.

The smithy was nice and warm from the forge. Hiccup spent some time talking shop with the smith, but the smith was quite standoffish, not wanting any of his secrets to go to the Vikings. While word of Hiccup's story had travelled the grapevine; few people believed it since it sounded so bizarre.

Hiccup asked for some time at the forge and made a little tavern puzzle, a simple one of remove the ring, but it wasn't easy without the secret. It felt good to work metal with his own hands.

Some evenings, Merida and Hiccup would go to the roof of one of the towers, to get away from the hubbub of the castle, even though it was so cold.

"Is anyone going to come looking for you?" Merida asked, sitting with Hiccup on the roof of the tower looking to the West in the darkness. They were heavily cloaked and their breaths made long streams of steam in the cold evening air.

Hiccup gave a slight laugh, a ball of condensation floated away from his face. "Not likely. Before last summer, I would have said definitely not. I was an outcast, no one wanted to be my friend. I was barely tolerated as the apprentice to Gobber, only because I was the son of the chief. No one would have mourned my death."

Hiccup heaved a steaming sigh and then he turned away. "I learned ...they would have celebrated it."

"What? No!" Merida gasped.

Hiccup nodded, "I learned that from my own father. He rather offhandedly told me how when he got back from the search for the dragon's nest. People were congratulating him and saying there was going to be a party. He thought they were talking about my death in dragon training."

Merida put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him and to steady herself, how could anyone, much less a whole tribe, or a father, be so cruel. Da loved her and would never say anything like that. No one had dared ask him about his story after that first night. He had been drunk enough not to remember and he told parts of it since, but not the same. She didn't know how to even start. So she just tried to be his friend.

"And now..." she prompted.

"Now, maybe, Dad's too busy. One of the gang may try to look for me. Well, Snotlout won't, he's my cousin, but he doesn't like me. Fishlegs is too much of a coward, but he'd think about it really hard. Ruffnut and Tuffnut would get bored after a few minutes and turn back. Astrid is stubborn enough to look for me, like a lost hatchling."

"Astrid cares about you." Merida said quietly.

"Yeah, maybe. Half the time she acts like she owns me and the other half she ignores me. I don't know. "

There was a silence in the quiet starlight.

Hiccup sighed. "By Hel, I hate people so much sometimes."

Merida said, "Please don't."

"Don't what?"

"Hate all people. I wouldn't hurt you. Again." She finished lamely, touching the arm she had injured.

"No. No, you wouldn't. Thank you." said Hiccup, glancing at her. "Do you know much about Vikings?"

"Not really. Mum has given me lessons about them, but mostly it is about the raids and invasions. From these last few days, I've learned more about Vikings from you then from Mum has been able to tell me."

"Okay, I can understand that, though I am not a very good example of a Viking. Wars are not a good way to communicate. I found that out with the dragons." Said Hiccup, with a faint laugh.

He looked at her and cocked his head. "Let me tell you a story. The great ocean straddles Midgard, the world, and lying at the bottom of that ocean is a great dragon, a dragon so large it encircles the world and can grasp its own tail. That dragon is Jörmungandr, the world dragon. One day Thor, god of thunder, went fishing with Hymir the giant. Using the head of an ox got Jörmungandr to take the bait. After a great wrestle, Jörmungandr came to the surface but before Thor could strike with his mighty hammer Mjölnir, Hymir cut the line and Jörmungandr sank beneath the waves again."

"Wow, some fishing trip," said Merida.

A ball of condensation escaped Hiccup lips, but then he went serious again, "Thor and Jörmungandr will meet one last time at Ragnarök, the Breaking of the World. Jörmungandr will rise from the depths and poison the sky. Thor will do mighty battle with him, destroy the dragon, then walk nine paces away from the body and fall down dead from the dragon's poison. The world will end that day."

Hiccup stood and walked a little ways away.

Merida followed and stood next to him. She could see a deeper blankness on his face; something was bothering him. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"That story is important, why?"

"We, the other dragon trainees on our dragons, were just coming into view of the island as the Death came shouldering its way out of the mountain. I wondered if it was Jörmungandr's Earth sister, or Jörmungandr himself. We were flying as fast as we could but we could only watch as it burned our ships and stomped on our tribe. It was just about to flame Dad and Gobber when we got in range and distracted it. I went after Toothless and Dad saved both of us. Then we flew off and defeated the Death, losing my leg in the process."

Merida could tell this was an important issue to Hiccup but she wasn't sure how. Hiccup lived a story that sounded just like Thor's. Yet, there was something wrong.

Here she was with one of the most incredible people she has ever met and yet he didn't expect anyone to come after him. He was a great hero, yet he was on a lonely survey mission to get away from his tribe, the tribe that had treated him so badly.

"Hiccup, I don't understand. You did something that sounds like it will kill one of your gods, yet you lived. Are there no feasts in your name? No holy day? What...? Why...?" Words failed her.

"That's the thing. I had to do the greatest deed in the history of our tribe, our mythology, to get to ordinary. I don't know if there is anything left in me to do more. I never counted for much to them. Nothing I do really counts to them... I don't count." Hiccup finished quietly.

"Yes, you do!" said Merida fiercely. "You count, especially to me. You don't deserve that kind of life. You are extraordinary and you should be treated that way by the people you almost died for." She threw her arms around him and held him close.

"Thanks, Merida." said Hiccup as he returned the hug.

"Hiccup, is your tribe still bullying you?" asked Merida.

Hiccup pulled back a little, and then shook his head. "No, not really. Well, Snotlout a little, but he's a cousin and that's expected. Everyone else treats me like just one of the tribe now."

Merida could hear the dismissive tone in his voice but there was something more, a pain he was hiding.

"Just one of the tribe... I don't get. Why doesn't anyone at home like you?"

"I wish I knew. I really did. I have more status then anyone. Fishlegs calculated it. I don't think anyone else can figure it out; it's a really big number. I killed the biggest dragon we've ever fought, on her home turf, in front of the whole tribe, which I saved, while riding the fiercest dragon we know of, alone, ended the war with the dragons and I even lost a limb in the process. The only way to get more status would be for me to kill Jörmungandr himself with my bare hands, but I think I'll let Thor have that honor." Hiccup rolled his eyes at that.

Merida was so concerned. Hiccup was the greatest warrior she had ever encountered. He made her Da seem weak. Da had set aside a feast day for Mum for killing Mor'du, commissioned songs and more. Yet his tribe had done nothing for Hiccup. She had no idea how to start dealing with that problem.

"You think Jörmungandr is real?" Merida asked to buy herself some time.

"I don't know. Gobber goes on about the BoneKnapper dragon that's been chasing him, everyone else says it's a myth, but even with an entry in the dragon manual I am not sure."

"Considering that I've met will 'o the wisps, ancient demon bears, witches and turned my own mum into a bear, I wouldn't be surprised if he does."

"Yeah." Hiccup sighed, gazing into the distance.

"You're actually thinking about it."

"About what?"

"Fighting him. Why?"

"Because I might have to. To save everyone."

"Are your going to go home?" Merida asked.

"Yes." Hiccup was looking over the battlements of the castle as she came up behind him.

"Why?"

"Where else can a Viking dragon rider go?" Hiccup voice was so bleak.

Merida put her hand out.

Kevin came popping up through the roof hatch and gibbered something about dinner. They both turned to him.

"It's dinnertime." Merida explained, her hand closing into a fist.

"Yeah, dinner would be ...good." said Hiccup, while Merida tried desperately not to bite Kevin's head off at the kneecaps.

# # #

Hiccup's walls were up, as high as ever. Merida didn't try to breach them for now. Hiccup was using his arm gently. Every day Merida would wash and bandage Hiccup's and Toothless' wounds. They were both healing well.

"So, Hiccup, how is the arm?" Fergus asked as he and the other leaders gathered in the great hall.

Hiccup carefully flexed it, it was still sore but he could move it all the way now. "Pretty good. Still hurts a little."

"And your dragon?"

"Toothless is still sleeping most of the time so I expect he is still healing."

"Very well. You said to expect the next dragon attack after fifteen days, that's tomorrow." Said Fergus and Hiccup nodded. "Can you help us fight them?"

"Well, I won't be on Toothless, but I can show you that they can be trained. But I'll have to get close to them." said Hiccup.

"How close?" asked Elinor.

"I have to give them scritches. For example, you can drop a dragon to sleep by scratching along the side of the neck and jaw," explained Hiccup.

Everyone's eyebrows were up in their hair.

"I know. I know. The thought of doing that in the middle of combat sounds insane, but if I show you that, will you believe me? I'm sure I can capture a few of them and we can practice on them."

"I know magic exists because I saw it. If you show me that, I'll know it can be done."

"Okay, deal. Where do you want me?" asked Hiccup.

"Over here by the sheep pens with me, we know the dragons are focused on them for food. Elinor and Merida will be on this high ground here with clear shots covering the pens and the stables. These two towers will have fires going so they can see well enough to shoot. We'll have men covering these areas." Fergus showed on the map.

"Good plan. Not that different from what we did, even down to the fires for light. We used siege engines to hold them off. Do you have people to fight the fires the dragons will set?"

Fergus looked at Lord MacGuffin, who shook his head.

"That's okay, set some teens with shovels to throw snow on the fires so the buildings don't burn down. Assign one as a spotter to warn them if a dragon gets too close, they'll need to run until the dragon moves away but fighting dragons will be your jobs."

Everyone nodded.

"Anything else?" Fergus asked.

"If you have to, you can keep a dragon from flaming if you clamp his jaw shut. It's a crazy move but it works. Oh, and try to get some sleep." Hiccup said, but he said it wistfully, not expecting anyone to be able to sleep.

Everyone sighed; the thought of sleep with a dragon battle in the morning just didn't go together.

# # #

The alarm bells began to ring. Hiccup woke up and looked to Toothless who was up and facing the wall, his headplates waggling.

"What's up buddy?" Asked Hiccup putting a hand on his dragon's shoulder but Toothless shook him off. Hiccup was surprised but wasn't sure what that meant though it seemed familiar.

Merida came rushing in. "Hiccup! Dragons are coming. Can you do anything to help?"

"I think so. Stay here buddy. I'll be back soon," said Hiccup and the two teens rushed out of the Great Hall.

"I wish I had some dragon nip that would be easy, it's never easy." complained Hiccup.

He looked up as they exited the keep, there were bonfires lighting up the night sky. The heavy clouds reflecting the light giving a pretty good view of the battlefield though dragons were popping in and out of the clouds.

There was a Monstrous Nightmare on the far end of the field being engaged by Fergus and several men. The big Dingwall and MacGuffin boys were engaging a Hideous Zippleback to the left, Kevin was swinging a really big sword but wasn't getting close enough to land a hit. He could see a dozen or so Gronkles and Deadly Nadders through the clouds. A relatively small raid actually, in Hiccup's experience.

Merida was scanning the battlefield for her mum, her bow by her side and her quiver full of arrows by her side and another on her back. The battle plan was for them to work as a team to take down dragons. Mum was just topping the hill with several men around her, one carrying a barrel of arrows.

"Merida! Rally to me!" called Queen Elinor.

Just then a bright blue Deadly Nadder landed in front of the teens. Merida began to pluck an arrow to her quiver, but her arms were pressed to her sides and she was shoved toward the dragon's tooth-filled maw.

"Wait! What are you doing!?" Merida screamed, she had thought Hiccup was on her side. She trusted him and he was throwing her to a dragon.

"Shh! We're in her blindspot." Hiccup whispered urgently in ear. He was pulling her side to side as the dragon looked around.

"We're relatively safe here. When she lifts her head, we'll duck under her chin. I need to get to the back of her jaw. I can take her down from there." Hiccup whispered.

Merida relaxed and tried to move with the boy and the dragon. The Nadder lifted its head. Merida and Hiccup ducked under the Nadder's chin. Hiccup reached up and gave it the sleeping scratch, but the dragon just hopped to the side and turned.

An arrow grazed the side of the Nadder's head and it leaped into the air and flew off.

"I don't understand, that always worked before," said Hiccup in amazement.

"Come on!" Merida shouted and dragged Hiccup up the hill to the high ground Elinor had taken with a few guards.

"What do you think you were doing!?" shouted Elinor as they came near to her.

"It almost landed on us, we had to hide in the blindspot. I told you, you can put a Nadder to sleep by scratching the neck and behind the jaw, but it didn't work this time." Hiccup answered, shaking his head. Something was odd about these dragons, but there was no time to figure it out.

"Very well, we do it the hard way. Merida, we focus on one dragon at a time, together." asked Elinor.

"Sure." Merida and Elinor fitted arrows to their bows and then oddly closed their eyes and exhaled together.

Hiccup looked over the battlefield and surveyed what was going on.

"Gronkle, north-northeast. It sees us." Hiccup called. Elinor and Merida raised their bows.

"It's about to fire at us!" Hiccup shouted, wishing he had a shield. He heard both women exhale.

"Loose." said Elinor calmly. Twin arrows flew downrange and down the monster's maw, taking its heart from the inside. It crashed to the ground in a heap.

"Wow. How did you do that?" asked Hiccup amazed.

The Monstrous Nightmare was flying low, laying down a line of fire herding the sheep towards some Nadders.

Hiccup was amazed at how the two women were working together. He would see a dragon getting close and call it to their attention; they would take aim together and loose at precisely the same instant. It was more then a little spooky; it was like they were one person or something. Yet it reminded him of those very rare times when he and Gobber worked together at the forge and they were able to hammer out a perfect blade in hardly anytime at all. He had caught Snotlout saying something about spooky to Fishlegs and now he understood what he had meant. The twins were like that sometimes, but not nearly this intently.

"Brown dragon." called a sentry behind him. Before Hiccup could so much as move, he found himself staring down the shaft of an arrow into Merida's eyes. He could see the intensity of her soul the fire of battle focused, but it was like a candle in a large room, still and calm. It was a place he knew, like when he was creating the Mangler. It had built it over one amazing weekend, everything worked and nothing hurt.

"No shot," announced Merida in an unearthly calm voice, her eyes looking beyond him, yet knowing he was there.

Hiccup dove into the trampled snow.

"Target acquired," said Merida in that same intense but unconcerned voice. With twin twangs the women loosed and another dragon fell from the sky.

For the life of him, he could not understand how the two women did it. The arrows looked like just simple wooden arrows with regular metal heads. Their bows seemed ordinary too. Hiccup knew that ordinary bows were basically useless against dragons. Their hides were too thick and scales too tough, unless you got really lucky and hit them in the eye or a wing joint.

Hiccup had built a ballista that had been able to launch an arrow that was a handspan thick and an arm span long halfway through a full-grown tree, but it had been too slow to aim and then the trigger broke. Disarming the thing had been nerve wracking.

Hiccup stood and brushed the snow off, as the women turned back to the battle. They looked out over the wall for more in coming dragons. He was thinking that they fought dragons somewhat differently here and for good reason; they had different abilities.

Hiccup turned to check over the castle. There were several dragons overflying but moving out of range. The Monstrous Nightmare was circling looking for something juicy to eat no doubt.

Hiccup noticed light spilling from the doors of the central keep and three small shapes come out.

He saw a Zippleback land near the keep, those dragons were dangerous because they made things explode and the heavy stone of the castle could be a big problem. He wanted to take that out sooner rather then later.

Hiccup blinked, and looked back to the open doors. He saw Maudie come dashing out, her bow catching on the door, before she freed herself.

"Oh man, the boys."

Elinor and Merida pivoted, expecting a target.

"Boys?" said Elinor dropping out of group flow. Then Elinor and Merida saw and understood.

"MY BABIES!" Elinor screamed, reaching out for her children, her bow forgotten in her hand.

A Gronkle blew a hole in the side of the sheep pen and sheep began spilling out and running around in a panic in front of the keep.

Dragons began to land around the sheep.

Elinor was in a panic. Her babies were in danger. They were supposed to be in the secure room in the main keep with Maudie, and MacGuffin's younger children, but they had gotten out and she had to do something. Merida blocked her mother as she tried to run to her babies. "Mum, no! We can protect them from here! We need you in the calm place! We can save them!"

"But my babies!" Elinor cried, trying to push past her daughter.

"Mummy, please! Concentrate!"

Hiccup looked around. The Nightmare had landed among the sheep, near the boys, as well.

"Merida, help your mum! I'm going to buy you some time!" Hiccup said and ran as fast as he could with his metal leg through the snow.

Fergus turned at his wife's scream, after slamming a Gronkle with his shield, causing it to fly away. He saw Maudie running through the courtyard and then the boys with their little swords trying to attack a dragon.

"BOYS!" He yelled.

Fergus plowed through the snow as fast he could, throwing up a great spray of snow. A Nadder dropped down in front of him and shot a sparkling blast of flame at him. Fergus had his heavy wood shield up but rather then evading, he just charged the Nadder down, he could feel the heat burning through the shield, and smell the smoke of his shield as the dragon flame burned and charred it. Slamming the edge of of his shield up into the chin of the Nadder the dragon's head lifted and then he drove his sword up and into the brain of the monster and with a twist, pulled it out. It fell to the side, dead.

But now he had to detour around the carcass and fight through the panicked sheep with more dragons landing.

"Maudie, your bow!" Fergus yelled, as another dragon landed near her and his boys. A dragon dropped down next to him.

Hunk Dingwall was stationed near the keep doors and to the right trying to protect the stables. He had just punched one head of a Zippleback and it had wobbled off into the air. He turned as he heard the queen's scream from behind him.

An iridescent Nadder landed between him, his beloved, and her charges. In three mighty bounds, he leapt on to the dragon's head and clamped its mouth shut so it could not flame them. Now he had the tiger by the tail and had no way to reach either of his swords as the Nadder swung its head back and forth trying to free itself.

"You naughty boys, what do you think you're doing out heREE, " Maudie was scolding the boys as they tried attacking a dragon but the scold turned into a scream, as she noticed all the dragons around her and the boys. The boys were retreating after the Zippleback snapped at them, with teeth as big as they were. There were too many dragons about for them to make it back to the keep. They gathered around her skirts.

Kevin MacGuffin was swinging his sword at a Gronkle driving it away from the sheep pens, he had not brought down any dragons with that huge new sword of his, because he was still too unsure of his own strength. The scream caused him to turn and see the distress of the queen he could see the boys in front of a Zippleback, he could see the two heads trying to choose which of the boys to eat.

With a roar, he ran through the snow, up the back of the dragon and in one mighty swing severed both the heads. He was thrown to the ground by the death throws of the decapitated dragon. Two dragons came down heavily to each side of him.

Maudie could see the men and dragons fighting around her, but she was so scared. Then her beloved Hunk was there, keeping a dragons mouth closed to keep it from flaming them all. As the boys came to her skirts, she heard Fergus shout about her bow. She carried it all the time now but she had only practiced a little due to trying to corral the boys. She had to do something.

Maudie unlimbered the bow and got out an arrow, dumping the quiver as she tore one out. She nocked it and tried to remember the calm place. She thought of the boys and how they drove her to calmness sometimes and she aimed under the wing of the Nadder her beloved was fighting and loosed. The arrow went in the thin skin under the wing and into the spine, the dragon dropped as it lost control of its' limbs.

Hunk held it down and drove one of his swords into its head to finish it. A dragon crashed behind him.

"Hey, you big, ugly, brute. You're fire's all cold." called Hiccup, insulting the proud beast, it was an effective way to get a Nightmare's attention, but dangerous, they really didn't like being called ugly. The Nightmare's eye's narrowed and he wheeled toward the teen who lead the dragon away from the children. Hiccup could hear the Nightmare galumphing behind him.

"Ha. Ha. Missed me, slowpoke!" Hiccup called as he ran. He timed it just right as he dodged uphill, as liquid flame barely missed him and flowed away from him. He was trying to lay the dragon out for a shot by the queen and princess, but what was taking them so long? He could hear arrows whistling through the air, roars from dragons and heavy thuds, but the Nightmare was still coming.

The night lit up as the Monsterous Nightmare set itself on fire, in its anger. The Nightmare should be near it's shot limit, but he had missed the opening of the battle and didn't know. He was running out for room to run; the wall of the castle was coming up. Hiccup was hoping he could make it to a large boulder as he hurdled a panicked sheep.

Hiccup heard a pair of whistles and then the night went dark. He skidded behind the boulder and peeked out. The Nightmare was down and out, steaming in the snow.

He saw a Nadder dive out of the clouds, looking like it was going to strafe the archers with a flick of its tail, but the women's arrows plucked it from the sky like a ripe apple.

The light of the dawn washed over the castle and Hiccup could see what was left of the raid flapping away into the clouds.

Hiccup looked over the battlefield trying to see what was happening.

Sheep and other livestock were milling around. Men were looking around for dragons to attack, their adrenaline still pumping. He could see Hunk pulling one of his swords out the neck of a Nadder. Maudie was scrounging for arrows that had spilled all over the ground. The boys were running toward their father. Fergus was running toward the boys from the pens, and so were Merida and Elinor from the high ground. Kevin was picking himself and that huge sword he had revealed last night from next to the body of a decapitated Zippleback from between a Gronkle and a Nadder.

Lord MacGuffin and his men were coming around from the far side of the keep, but they stopped when they saw the field of battle.

For good reason, Hiccup thought. The battlefield was littered with dead dragons. He had never seen so many dead dragons in one place at one time before. On Berk, they often killed a few dragons during a raid but they usually tried to capture a few for training purposes.

But this was a slaughter on a scale he never witnessed before and not what he expected from a place that had only been attacked a couple of times before.

Hiccup rubbed his arm as he limped toward the knot of family. He could hear Elinor berating her boys.

"Naughty boys. You are such very naughty boys. You are in so much trouble." Elinor was scolding them but the effect was rather diminished, since she was grabbing each of them by the face and kissing them all over their faces. It didn't help she was smiling and crying at the same time. He could see the confusion on their faces.

"No more of my desserts," he heard Merida tell them, wondering what that was about. They did look contrite about that and nodded.

Quite the crowd formed around the royal family, but Maudie and Hunk were hugging tightly.

Then Merida saw him.

"Hiccup, are you insane!" screeched Merida in the upper registers of her voice as she stormed toward him. "What did you think you were doing with that big red dragon having it chase you like that!"

"I...um...ah." quailed Hiccup.

"I lost concentration because I was so worried about you! You could have been killed!" Merida threw her arms around Hiccup and hugged him close.

"Nah. Well, maybe. I've been chased by Monstrous Nightmares before. You needed time to get that flow thing of yours working again," explained Hiccup, reddening as he saw the rest of the people stare. He saw Elinor and Fergus exchange a look and Kevin heaved a sigh.

"Aye, young Hiccup. That was reckless even for a Viking," said Elinor.

"Ah, an occupational hazard," joked Hiccup, shrugging the compliment off, not sure how to take it. He had done crazier things. Elinor and Fergus shared a look.

Then Hiccup blinked, that phrase jogged something in his memory.

"Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!" Hiccup whispered realizing something. He ran back to the castle and into the Great Hall. Toothless was still facing the west, looking like he was listening intently.

"Toothless, come back buddy! I'm here. You can't go to it! Stay, please!" Hiccup grabbed at Toothless' harness to try to get his attention, trying to snap his best friend from the trance.

Toothless looked at him, blinked, and his eyes changed. He saw his best friend and crooned worriedly.

"Oh, man. We've got a problem," said Hiccup as Merida came up behind him.

# # #

Aileen was dragged out of the home of her "husband" to the village square again. She wondered who was going to be raped or beaten this time or if it would be all of them again.

They had been chosen as "wives" by these Vikings, but they resisted as best they could. There were "wives" from several lands and while they had a difficult time understanding one another there was a friendship over their circumstance.

It had been weeks now since their capture, they had been forced to submit to many things but they still resisted. They were of the Highlands and they were brave. Aibhlinn had rallied them to resist. She was a brave spirit and Aileen added her fire and they were the core of the resistance.

The other women, taken from other lands, had begun to resist as well. They did the minimum they had to so they would stay alive but they did nothing else. They had been beaten and raped but they did not bend. Their hair had been cut to humiliate them, but they did not mourn their hair.

They were given only old sackcloth and rope to cover themselves. That had been a mistake on the Vikings part. A Gaulish girl, who had had long blonde hair which still curled to the side as short as it was now, conceived of a way to tie it all together so they were covered, barely. The women had found that it drove the men to distraction, they were raped more often but the women knew they were causing it, the slaves were in control of the slavers. A small Pyrrhic victory in a long-term war.

The rapes and the beatings took a terrible toll on the women. She could see the redness in the women's eyes from tears and the subtle flinches when men were near, but they were strong and would fight these slavers as long as they could.

Aileen saw gagged Aibhlinn tied inside a large wooden frame, ropes wrapped all around her, knots placed over sensitive areas of her body, standing on two small blocks of wood at the center of the village square.

They raised their chins to each other. They were brave.

Aileen was forced to kneel between some of the other girls.

BigEars the chief of the tribe came forward and walked down the line of kneeling women with their upraised chins.

BigEars was a barrel of a man with a face like weathered stone, a shock of black hair and a braided beard that ran down his chest. His eyes were like granite.

"You are the strongest women I have ever met. You are brave and tough. We have raped you, beaten you, alone and together. Yet still you resist us. I honor you for that. The strong must rule the weak and you are strong. We will make a great tribe. You would make great Viking wives, if you would submit to us." BigEars said.

The chained women knelt straight and tall below him. Behind him, Aileen could see Aibhlinn's arms and legs were beginning to shake from fatigue as she held herself up, keeping the ropes from tightening around her.

"Winter is coming and we need you to do your part so we all can survive. This resistance must end! There is not time to kill you all and replace you."

He pulled out his sword, with his massive arms, walked to Aibhlinn and laid the tip of his sword at the base of her collared throat. A few of the women in the line wavered for a moment.

"Aibhlinn is the center of your bravery. We all know that. You are probably expecting me to kill her. I will not do that. That would make her a martyr and an unkillable symbol of resistance. That I will not do."

He turned back to everyone. "She will be broken, all of you will be broken."

"It took six of us to bind her as you see her. She is strong, you are strong; Viking strong. She will bare us strong sons to lead this tribe, all of you will bare sons for us. We will be the strongest Viking tribe. But now I will use her strength against her. These ropes will tighten as she moves, hurting her. It will not kill her, but she will beg to have my sons before I release her."

He spoke to Aibhlinn. "You are the bravest woman I have ever seen, but you must submit. I have beaten you and raped you. I have not been able to break you. So now you will break yourself."

He kicked the wooden blocks out from under her feet. Aibhlinn grunted through her gag as the ropes tightened around her as she dangled above the grass. She had grabbed the ropes and now was holding up her full weight with only her hands.

"You will break. All of you." The chief growled with determination. He sheathed his sword, folded his arms across his heavy chest and waited patiently.

There was silence except for Aibhlinn's ragged breathing. Aileen and Aibhlinn locked eyes and tried to support each other. Aibhlinn fought the pain, long minutes passed. Sweat began to soak her. Involuntary moans passed her lips as the ropes slipped through her tired fingers.

She tried to hold still but the ropes dug into her skin, the knots burrowed into her pressure points and her body began to shake. The ropes creaked as they tightening around her slender, reddening limbs.

Aibhlinn was taking controlled breaths to hold off the pain, but tears were beginning to leak down her face. The women all offered their strength and resistance to the bound girl.

The sun moved slowly across the sky.

The weight of her body pulled at the ropes, lowering her. The gentle breeze caused the grass to tickle her dangling toes, Aibhlinn jerked as the sensation attacked her. BigEars smirked as he saw that, that hadn't occurred to him but he would remember that for next time. The ropes bit into her skin as they tightened even more.

One by one, the women couldn't take Aibhlinn's torture and bowed their heads to the ground in submission.

Whimpers came through Aibhlinn's gag as her limbs darkened as the ropes continued to tighten. BigEars removed the gag, so they could hear her whimpers more clearly. Aibhlinn stifled herself by biting down on her lip as her limbs began to purple as the blood was blocked. From the corner of her eye Aileen could see the other girls bending their heads to the ground as they broke from witnessing Aibhlinn's pain.

Aileen was shaking as she experienced her friend's, her village-sister, her sister's pain. She was the last offering her strength to Aibhlinn, all the others had broken and submitted themselves to the Vikings. Tears were flowing down her own face, though. They kept eye contact trying to stay strong.

Then Aileen whimpered as she saw Aiblhinn's own bright red blood forced out through the skin of her dark purple hands and feet. Aibhlinn's lip began to bleed as she bit down so hard to keep from screaming. Her hands were flopping uselessly from the intense pain as drops of blood ran down her arms.

As a drop of her own blood tickled her armpit, Aibhlinn broke eye contact with Aileen and begged, "Please, stop it! By Morrigan, please, let it stop! I submit! I submit! I'll be a good wife! I'll bear your babies! From all of you! Good strong sons! Please, make it stop!" Aibhlinn began to jerk uncontrollably from the pain as the knots dug deeply into her. Aibhlinn began to scream in earnest as her bare toes scrabbled in the dirt.

Aileen dropped her own head, unable to help her sister suffer any more. She put her forehead to the dirt. It was over. They had lost.

BigEars swiped his sword through the ropes and Aibhlinn fell heavily to the ground like a sack of rutabagas.

"I win. I always win." After a moment of watching the feebly writhing girl, he ordered, "Tend her."

Aileen rushed forward as fast as she could with the chains on her, as did the others. They unwound the ropes from the screaming teenager.

"I'm sorry. It hurts. I can't. It hurts. I'm weak. I failed. Forgive me. I'm sorry," sobbed Aibhlinn helplessly, she was trying to move her arms and legs but they just flopped around after all that abuse. The blood from her skin stained their clothes.

"It's okay. It's okay, my sister. You were brave and strong, that was enough. It's enough. I love you, my sister." Aileen comforted, wiping her sister's face with the sleeve of her dress as the others got the ropes off Aibhlinn's shaking body.

They carried her to her bed. They cleaned her with wet cloths and their own tears. They cared for her as she slowly recovered and they did the work their husbands required of them, never fighting again.

Author's Note: Morrigan is the Celtic goddess of fertility and war.


	6. Friendship

~ Raided: A Mericcup Story: Chapter 06: Friendship

"We have a new problem. A really big problem," warned Hiccup, leaning on his fists on the table.

"We already have a problem, are you saying there is a bigger problem out there we have to deal with? We took out a lot of dragons, finally." asked Fergus. He had one of the boys on his lap. He was feeling pretty good, they had taken out a large number of dragons and the rest had fled. They had lost only a few sheep.

"Yes. Admittedly, you did really well out there today, taking down so many dragons so quickly is impressive, but you lost a lot of people," explained Hiccup.

After the battle, they began treating the wounded in the Great Hall. Hiccup showed them that the best way to deal with a Nadder quill was to push it through rather then pull since it was barbed. There was the man with the charred stump of a hand-it looked like Gronkle burns-who they were plying with strong ale as two burly guys and a man with a saw were waiting for him to pass out. He should have a chance to tell the local smith how to make an interchangeable hand for the man, like Gobber's. Hiccup had thought of a few improvements that might be handy, but right now, they needed to talk about what was out there.

Then there were the bodies of the slain warriors and their grieving families. Hiccup was sorry for them, but didn't try to approach them. He had stayed close to Toothless and the guards. There had been some angry looks directed at him. The queen and the princess had been there to comfort them, which kept things calm.

Back in Berk, his father had opted for a strategy that kept the human casualties to a minimum. It killed fewer dragons, but it hadn't seemed to make a difference either way on the dragon raids, but it saved nearly all of the people during a raid. Berk had been low on food and people. Training the dragons had saved them because the dragons helped get more food, mostly fish, by flying beyond the ice to open water. The dragons even helped keep the village warm during this intense cold.

Now that things had calmed down they needed to discuss what Hiccup figured out. They had finally cleared the Great Hall and now he was meeting with the Dunbrochs and the MacGuffins.

"But there's a Death out there and it's close. Close enough to control the raiding dragons. That's why I couldn't knock out that Nadder." explained Hiccup.

"A death... The way you say that, tells me we are not talking about the Grim Reaper." said Elinor, with one of her boys on her lap, whom she kept kissing. He had mentioned the Death in that story of his the first night, but had never really explained it.

"Hardly. A Death is a queen dragon. Kinda like a beehive, she controls all the dragons and they bring her food. If they don't bring back enough she starts eating them, to encourage them to get more food for her." Hiccup stated flatly.

Fergus looked concerned at that news.

"We've gotten pretty good at taking down dragons. Mum and I should be able to take her down too." said Merida confidently, bouncing Harris on her knee.

Hiccup gave a weak, slightly hysterical laugh. "A Death is not like the dragons you've seen. It's bigger then this castle. My father threw my entire tribe at it. It barely noticed the boulders they threw at it! It decimated the tribe without even noticing and it would have wiped us out if the other dragonriders hadn't distracted it long enough for Toothless and I to get into the fight! It's the reason I lost my leg!" Hiccup was practically shouting, there was a panicky edge to his voice, gesturing to his metal leg.

"Okay, this is a serious problem then. How did you defeat that Death?" asked Fergus, though everyone was looking worried. Whatever a Death was, they knew they were getting the unvarnished truth from this boy. Hunk put his arm around Maudie.

Hiccup took a breath and ran both hands through his hair. "Toothless and I flew around giant rocks, that it flew through and they only slowed it down a little. We flew high into the sky, hiding in the clouds. It followed us. Toothless blasted holes into its wings, that just got it angry and the Death set most of the sky on fire. Then we dove for the ground. It was going to flame us on the way down but Toothless shot a fireball into its mouth so it started burning on the inside, then because we damaged its wings, it crashed into the ground and exploded. It left a hole in the ground that could hold my whole village." Hiccup flopped into his chair, looking exhausted. The others were exchanging glances; there were some things in that story that were frightening.

"You won't be able to do anything until your dragon is all healed up?" asked Fergus and Hiccup nodded. "So we are going to have to hold them here until then or get a message to your village."

"That won't happen until the ice breaks up in the Spring, which might take a while given how cold this winter has been. It took half a day to fly to open water due to all the ice locked in around Berk." stated Hiccup.

Fergus nodded with a sigh. Furs had been fastened over windows and everyone was wearing thick layers of clothes, but they were still going through firewood at a tremendous rate.

"Is there anything you desire, my Queen, Princess?" asked Lord MacGuffin again.

"No, thank you. You have been more then generous. You are so solicitous tonight, my Lord. Why?" asked Elinor. He had brought a pile of sweets, blankets, pillows and a little stool for her feet that the Clan Lord had brought for her and Merida personally. Merida shook her head as she and Harris munched on a cake.

"Because you protected my home, my Queen." said Lord MacGuffin evasively.

"Indeed, but we did that already, but today is different and the question remains."

"I am trying to honor you and frankly I am not sure how to treat you after what I saw."

"What did you see?" Asked Elinor, things had happened rather quickly there at the end of the battle.

"We had engaged a few dragons on my side of the keep and then we heard you scream. The dragons leapt into the air and flew towards your position. We thought you were in danger. I was wrong; the dragons were the ones in danger. I saw it rain dragons like ripe fruit in a windstorm. The two of you dealt out death like you were Brìghde incarnate." The Clan Lord said in wonder.

"Oh, I was just trying to protect my boys because they were in danger." She gave Hammish a squeeze.

"Truly a mother's love. With the two of you nearby, there is no fear of armies," said Lord MacGuffin.

# # #

Merida slowly woke up. The angle of the sun in her windows told her it was after noon. She felt like she weighed tons. She rolled onto her side and pushed herself up with her left arm. Her right arm hurt so much it made her gasp as sharp pains jabbed into her arm and shoulder. The floor was icy cold but she didn't even bother with slippers and just wrapped the robe over her shoulders.

Merida was starving and she shuffled toward the kitchens. As she passed her parents room, she could see them and the boys piled onto the bed. She wished she was young enough to join in.

Taking the first step down to the Great Hall, she jolted her body and spots of darkness floated in her vision for a moment. Carefully, she made it down the rest of the stairs.

"Merida, are you okay?" Hiccup said as she came down. He stood from his spot next to Toothless.

"I'm starving. I need some food," said Merida tiredly as she shook her head. A great rumble came from her stomach as she clutched her belly.

"Okay, I'll get you something. You stay here." He guided her to a bench at a table.

"Thank you." said Merida gratefully as Hiccup ran to the kitchen, as a guard followed him. Soon he returned with a platter of meats and a pot of tea. Merida grabbed the first thing that came under hand and bit ravenously into it. Hiccup edged back a little as Merida devoured much of the food in moments.

As a serving girl walked past, Merida said, "Send up three platters of food to my parents, they'll be waking soon and hungry."

"Yes, m'lady."

"Feeling better?" asked Hiccup.

"A bit. Thank you, for the food and my brothers. You did something I never expected from anyone, especially a Viking."

Hiccup blushed.

"No, no. It's okay. I understand now how you could end your war with the dragons. I just wish it could end the raids on us," said Merida.

"Yeah."

"I'm feeling much better, thank you. Let's check the bandages on Toothless," said Merida to try and change the subject after a long period of quiet eating.

She watched as Hiccup looked into Toothless' eyes and said, "You're going to be alright, buddy. You are healing just fine."

She could see the intense love they shared in their eyes. It looked deeper then the love she felt with Angus and almost as strong as what she felt with her Mum and Da.

"Yes, I'd say so too. We'll leave the dressings off now, and wait for the scabs to fall off. Then he should be as good as new," said Merida. She could see long stretches of scars running around Toothless reminders of when Hiccup had captured him.

"Thanks." Hiccup said.

Hiccup turned and picked up his helmet and he paused for a moment, looking at it, rubbing his thumb along the side and she saw that loving look again, then he put it on and his face was the blank mask again. She was beginning to suspect something.


	7. Questions

~ Raided: A Mericcup Story: Chapter 07: Questions

Hiccup woke up to the sound of Toothless' teeth extending, which made him sit up and look around really quickly. It was really early in the morning, a torch was guttering low on the wall by the kitchen. The windows were covered with wooden shudders and furs to keep out the cold but there were still drafts making the torch waver.

In front of Toothless were four young children. Three were redheads, Merida had introduced them as Harris, Hubert and Hammish, but he had no idea who was whom. Merida seemed to have no problem with it though.

There was another child, a little blonde girl about the same age as the boys. She had a halo of messy blonde hair, that told Hiccup that she must be related to Lord MacGuffin. He knew that Lord MacGuffin had some other children besides Kevin, his firstborn. There was a son about Hiccup's age that he had seen, but hadn't been introduced to. As well as a preteen girl, who he had seen rush up to her dad and given a big hug too, but disappeared once she had noticed Toothless.

This must be MacGuffin's youngest. She had her thumb in her mouth and piece of dried fish in her other hand. They all had a little chunk of fish in their fists and all of them including Toothless looked a little guilty.

"Oh, it's you again and you've brought a friend this time. You know you shouldn't come sneaking up on people when they are asleep, especially when they are sleeping next to a dragon." Hiccup chided quietly.

The boys tried to look as innocent as the girl was, but didn't do half as good a job of it.

"You know your parents don't want you close to Toothless. He really can be very dangerous, but you are safe enough if I am around ...and I am awake, alright?"

The children nodded.

"Toothless, do you want a little snack?" asked Hiccup.

Toothless nodded.

"Stick out your tongue."

Toothless retracted his teeth and stuck out his tongue. The kids also stuck out their tongues as they placed their little offerings on Toothless' tongue.

Then Toothless make quite the production of eating the treats making the kids smile in delight.

"Okay, back to bed with you." Hiccup whispered and the children ran up the stairs to the bedrooms.

# # #

Merida was sitting with Kevin in the Great Hall, he was telling her of his part in saving her brothers, or rather, she was trying to drag the story out of him with grappling hooks. She had seen how close he was to her brothers and the dead dragons around him.

She had already talked to several others, including Maudie and Hunk. Maudie was blaming herself since the boys had gotten away from her, but Elinor wouldn't hear of it. The boys always got into trouble and seemed able to escape any room they were placed in. Another witness had told how Maudie had brought down a dragon, though Hunk had finished it off. Maudie was closer to Merida's heart then most people, having cared for her most of her life. Maudie had done well, under very trying circumstances.

A couple of days after the raid, after things were cleaned up, Hunk had come to the King to ask Maudie's hand in marriage. Maudie didn't have any other family, she was an orphan they had chosen as a maid after the last war. Fergus gladly gave his permission, and Merida and Elinor had gone to Merida's room to squeal in delight. He hadn't asked yet but it was only a matter of time.

"Come on, Kevin. Just tell me what happened, I know you were brave and strong. You cut off both heads of that dragon in one blow."

Kevin made fussing sounds, but Merida could see that he was looking around the room nervously. Hiccup was sitting quietly by Toothless, sketching something into his notebook. Kevin had told a simple story of what he had done at the drunken celebration the night after the raid, but she knew that many details were missing.

"Here, let's go for a walk." Merida suggested.

Kevin nodded gratefully.

They pulled on boots and heavy cloaks and went outside. Workers were stacking stones to repair the pens and stables since it was too cold for anything else. Though the gate they could see other workers tipping the last of the dragon carcasses into a small ravine to get them out of sight. They waved to King Fergus who was starting to plod back. Hiccup said they would toss the dragons they killed in Berk into the sea, but the river was frozen so they had to improvise.

"So what really happened?" asked Merida.

"Oh, nothing much," said Kevin, or at least that was the gist of what he was saying. Merida could sort of understand him now after weeks of being near him. Several other in the castle spoke like he did. He had a brother and two young sister. The the youngest seemed to disappear with her brothers rather often.

"Come on, stop that. It's just us, you're supposed to be trying to win my heart. You are allowed to brag a little, especially since I saw some of what you did."

Kevin's shoulders slumped. "I don't deserve to win your heart. I have nothing to brag about. I was a coward."

"No, you weren't, and yes you do," said Merida with some heat. "I know you were keeping dragons away from the sheep pens, I saw that."

"I lost men to Nadder spines and the pens were breached." Kevin said quietly. He had been in charge over a detachment of men to guard the sheep pens.

"I know, we lost a lot of people. Mum and I killed some of our own men when the dragons we killed dropped on them." Merida shivered and it wasn't from the cold. "But we are leaders and we fight for our people and our homes and our country. It never goes neatly, at least that is what Da says." Merida had spent some time talking with her parents after the battle and all the mistakes she had made. Da had reassured her, but it was still hard to deal with.

"No, it doesn't." Kevin sighed. "I'm not sure of all that happened, so much was happening so quickly. I was just trying to drive off any dragon that got too close, but a Nadder can shoot those spines. I moved out of position to attack a Gronkle and that saved me from a spray of spines."

"That was luck and a good thing too," said Merida.

Kevin gave a weak smile. "When the pens were breached it was chaos. Dragons were everywhere. Then I heard the shout about the boys, your brothers. I could see them, then a Zippleback landed between us. I had to do something, It looked like it wanted to eat them, but the only thing I could think of was to run up its back and take a swing at it. I swung with everything I had. I was surprised that I got through both necks and not just one. It isn't as tough as a Nadder leg. I was thrown and then a couple of dragons you and the Queen shot down crashed next to me on both sides. One of them landed on my sword and it took a second to free it and by that time the battle was over. Thanks to you and the Queen."

"It took all of us working together to win that battle." Merida said. It was something her Da told her and she was trying to believe it. She felt she had made a lot of mistakes and people had died because of her. She shivered again and not just from the cold.

Kevin stopped and turned to face her, then he enveloped her in his cloak. Merida felt his strong but gentle arms around her. "Yes, but you and your mum made all the difference."

Merida looked into his warm eyes.

"Yeah, thanks," and then she put her head on his chest and her arms around his stomach as they stood together for a while in a quiet place out of the wind behind the castle. Of all the suitors, she was beginning to rather like Kevin.

# # #

"Hiccup, I find I need to apologize to you. I didn't trust you because you were a Viking. But you helped save my boys. I trust you now." said Fergus seriously. He had been putting this off, but the discomfort he felt every time he saw Hiccup and his dragon was too much.

Fergus had been helping to clean up the battlefield. It had taken teams of horses to drag the bodies of the dragons away from the castle. They had saved the heads of the Zippleback Kevin had killed and were working on them to be stuffed for a special present for him.

Now it was evening and he was tired but this was something that a king should do.

"No, it's okay. Viking don't have the best reputation in the world from what I understand. Though we are not exactly a normal tribe either. We spent so much time and effort dealing with the dragons there wasn't time for normal Viking pursuits," explained Hiccup.

"Hm, normal Viking pursuits. Hiccup, we have a Viking problem. Some years ago we were invaded and we were able to throw them back. Over the summer there were a number of Viking raids on our eastern coast. Villages destroyed, people killed and girls taken. What can you tell me about that?"

Hiccup chewed his lips. "I don't know very much, because we haven't done those sorts of things for a long time. Occasionally, Dad has gone on trading missions, trading our iron for cloth, sheep and stuff."

Hiccup shifted uncomfortably on his chair. "I do know that they have brought back slave wives sometimes. My grandmother was a slave wife and since my Dad talks so much like you do, I expect her to have been taken from here and then sold to us."

"Oh, is she still alive?"

Hiccup shook his head. "We generally don't grow very old in our village, dragons take care of that. You get old, you get slow and the dragons get you. We only have a couple of old people, who can still move fast enough to stay clear of the dragons in a fight."

Hiccup had a chilling thought, he could get old like Gothi. What would that be like? The whole village getting old. No one dying in battle anymore. No one able to go to Valhalla anymore.

"Ah well. Hiccup we would like our people back. We've found some evidence of who has done this. Do you recognize it?" Fergus pulled a button and some fabric from his pocket and gave it to Hiccup.

Hiccup studied it for a moment. It showed an inverted truncated isosceles triangle intersected by a hooked T-handled skinning knife. "Sorry, but I don't. I don't know of many other tribes; we're rather isolated."

Fergus nodded. "Keep it. I have others," he waved it off as Hiccup held it toward him.

Fergus sighed and sat next to Hiccup. After a while he said, "You've been spending a lot of time with my daughter."

"Yeah." Hiccup said cautiously, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable as the silence stretched out between them. He could see Fergus wanting to say something, but having difficulty.

"Would a marriage between you do anything about these raids?" Fergus blurted. It was an option he had to consider. He wanted Merida to have her freedom and to find love, but he had to find a way to protect his people. He was a king and that was his job. But these raids were too small and fast to defend against easily. A political marriage did have its points, and it would be nice if they liked each other.

"Wha, ah, um, I don't know. I don't think so. We are not a big tribe and it wouldn't effect any of the other tribes, I think." Hiccup was panicking a little, he didn't feel ready for marriage just yet. The thought of explaining that to Astrid made his insides bind up into a knot.

"Oh, okay. I had to ask. I need to find a way to protect my people from those raids. This is the first time I've been this close to a Viking and not fighting for my life."

"Yeah. I understand." said Hiccup thoughtfully. Remembering how Astrid went from beating him up to trying to defend him from Toothless in an instant. Thinking how he would feel if someone took Astrid and Ruffnut.

"I don't know what to do, but I hope I can find out when I get home." But Hiccup's insides were in a bind. Astrid would chop his head into tiny bits for marrying someone else. Though if it was part of a major alliance like this she might understand, and just maim him a little.

"Okay. It was worth a shot. Thank you," said Fergus.

# # #

"Hiccup, are you okay?" asked Merida quietly as she sat between Kevin and Hiccup. Everyone was in the Great Hall and the minstrel was reciting one of the great epics. A bit of entertainment after yesterday's memorial to the fallen. She had glanced over at Hiccup after the hero had received the call to adventure, her favorite part, and saw that he had a sad abstracted look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he said after a tiny shake, then after a beat he put on a smile like he just remembered to look like he was supposed to be enjoying himself.

Merida put her hand on his and said, "Okay."

She turned back to the minstrel but kept her hand on Hiccup's because sometimes she had felt so alone and needed the touch of a human hand. Hiccup looked so lost and sad sometimes, it tore at her heart, she wanted to do something but wasn't sure what.

# # #

"Hiccup, are you okay? You're so cold all the time," asked Merida gently, watching Hiccup carefully. They were up on top of the tower again, the evening sky painted the sky and clouds in reds and oranges. Merida started a fire on the corner of the slate platform that was piled with fire wood to light up the area around the castle for fighting dragons.

Hiccup glanced at her and then back at the sunset. "It's winter. People tend to be cold in the wintertime." scoffed Hiccup.

Merida paused for a moment. "No, you're not."

"Not what?" Hiccup didn't look at her. His breath streamed out in front of him.

"Please, stop it. You know what I asked about and you choose to lie about it. Please stop. I care about you and I know you are hurting."

"I've got to check on Toothless." Hiccup said turning away.

"Please, don't. Please, don't run away. You're the one that's hurt and I want to try making it better." Merida pleaded.

Hiccup sighed and turned toward the princess again. "So where do you think I'm so hurt?"

Merida placed a hand on his chest and said simply, "Here."

Merida could feel Hiccup's breathing pause, his eyes widen and pupils dilate. She knew she had hit the mark.

"You don't care about you own life in the slightest. The only reason you're still alive is because of Toothless. You've done other reckless things besides letting dragons chase you, haven't you?"

"How could you know that?" Hiccup asked in disbelief.

"I've been there myself. Before mum and I reconciled I was an emotional wreck. Doing Princess lessons were awful, the thought of becoming my mother was too soul-crushing to contemplate. On my days off, I would ride off to my glen to shoot arrows and out into the Highlands and do stupid reckless things, because I didn't really care about going back home. I climbed the Crone's Tooth, a 300 foot tall spire of rock, in a dress. I almost died on that climb and I didn't care."

Merida took his mittened hand. "There's another thing too. You keep telling that story about fighting the Red Death. Da did that too about his fight with Mor'du. Da finally told Mum about how much that fight cost him not long after mum's transformation. Da's been suffering with it for most of my life. You can't keep holding it in. Mum and I turned our suffering on each other and it was the most painful experience ever. It made Da try to kill Mum and I don't want to see you suffer anymore. You are too good a person to hurt anyone else with this, but don't hurt yourself either."

Hiccup's mouth was hanging open.

"I know you have no one to open up to in your tribe, but, maybe, you could open up to me. I'll never tell anyone, I swear." Merida said earnestly.

"Do you have any idea what you are asking of me?" Hiccup asked.

Merida nodded.

"I don't know if I can." Hiccup said.

"Try." Merida asked quietly.

Hiccup was quiet for a time, but Merida just waited patiently. "I've seen how much your family loves you. You have something, I've only felt rarely, like when you yelled at me after the battle with the Monstrous Nightmare. You have no idea what it was like to grow up as me. I can't afford to care. I was basically an outcast from my tribe. They tolerated my existence, but people liked smoked eel better then me. I'm sure that the only reason I'm not dead was that I was the chief's only child. My dad used the threat of having to babysit me to get them to go on a dragon nest hunt. I was nothing to them. Now, people notice me, want to be around me, but no one cares about me. I'm alone surrounded by a crowd of people. I don't have any connection to them at all. That's why I go on these survey missions, so I don't have to pretend for a while."

"You don't have to pretend with me."

"No, I guess I don't. You ...really do care about me?"

"Yes, I do," said Merida firmly.

"Why?"

"You are a good person."

"No, I'm not." Hiccup shook his head.

"What you do shows me that you are." Merida disagreed. "I am a bad girl. I turned my mum into a bear to keep from being auctioned off for marriage. You made friends with your most feared monster. You fought an even more terrible monster to save your tribe. I know love now, I didn't before, because that is what broke the spell. You love so very deeply, and all I can do is open my heart to you but you have to open yours yourself."

"I don't remember how." admitted Hiccup quietly.

Merida pulled him close. "That's okay. You're smart. You'll figure it out."

"Merida?" asked Hiccup quietly, looking up.

"Yes. Hiccup."

"I don't know if I can explain what it is like to be me to anyone so they can understand."

"Why?"

"Because when I look around, I don't see anyone like myself. I saw what you can do with your mother and I envy that so much, I want to hate you, but I can't, because I know the terrible pain you went through to have that."

Merida nodded.

"I never had that with anyone, except Toothless. My mother died when I was quite young. Dad was always disappointed in me, because I wasn't the son he wanted. He even said I wasn't his son."

"Oh no."

"That was after he found out about Toothless, but when I was getting ready to fight the Red Death he said he was proud of me. Though he's never said that again. It's nice to kiss Astrid, but she hasn't said she loves me, and I don't know if I could tell her that, because I am not sure if I know what love is. Watching your family, I think I am seeing you love each other."

"We do love each other very deeply." Merida said.

"I know, I can see that. But I've never had anything like that in my life until Toothless, but he's a dragon not a human, and it isn't the same."

"So what was it like before."

"I was an outcast. I was picked on but mostly ignored. I was everything a Viking shouldn't be. Often I couldn't even get negative attention. I was practically invisible, like a piece of furniture that was always there. Except that everything that I did messed things up and everyone hated me."

"Oh, dear. Wasn't anyone on your side?"

"Gobber tried; he talked dad into putting me in dragon training. For years I had dreamed of just getting into dragon training, but when I finally got my dream it was just after I realized I wouldn't kill dragons."

"Wouldn't?"

"I won't kill dragons because when I found Toothless in the woods, I saw in his eyes, myself. He was scared just like me."

"Okay," said Merida, finding an insight into just how big a heart Hiccup had.

"I took what I was learning as I befriended Toothless into the ring and became the best dragon fighter they had ever seen. Astrid was jealous, but she couldn't deny it. I was popular, people liked being around me, they cared about my opinions and wanted to be my friend. It felt amazingly good, though so new and different."

"Good."

Hiccup shook his head. "And then it came crashing down. They captured Toothless, Dad disowned me as his son. They took Toothless and practically the entire village to crush the dragon's nest. I had lost my tribe, my father and my best friend and all I could do was look out to sea in the direction they went. Astrid broke me out of that and I went to the ring to get a dragon to go get Toothless. I was just going to take the Nightmare and see if I could get there. Then Astrid and the others showed up and so we saddled up all the training dragons and flew to the nest and got there just in time to save my dad."

"Oh, good."

"Yeah." It came out sounding disappointed.

"What?"

Hiccup sighed, "This is the hard part. I went from nobody, to most popular dragon trainee ever to nobody in the course of a few weeks. When I lost everything, all I could feel was a slight disappointment."

"That's it?"

"Yup, my whole life was crashing down around my ears, and all I could do was stare in the direction they took my best friend. I know I am not like other people, and I don't know how to be like them. Though I desperately want to be. They kept telling me all I had to do was change all this." Hiccup gestured down his body.

"Hiccup, you just gestured at all of you?"

"Exactly. All I had to do was walk and talk and think like a Viking."

"But that doesn't make any sense."

Hiccup began pacing. "I know! How do you tell your own dad that that is what I have been trying to do my whole life? Yet there I was at the top of the cliff watching dad take my only friend away from me, knowing he'd kill Toothless when he was done destroying the nest or trying too. I knew what dad was sailing into. The Death was a dragon he had no hope of defeating and he had emptied the village to battle it. I knew that no one was coming back. I watched them pass over the horizon and I just stood there, wondering if I could take that step forward to end the pain. Then Astrid was there, summing up what happened, but I wanted to scream at her what she was missing. No one was coming back, our tribe was now down to a bunch of underage kids, and old people. We were all dead, we'd never survive the winter like that. But Astrid got me thinking, if I could just free Toothless we could do something together. And so we battled the Death and won and saved the tribe."

"Hiccup, I don't understand something. How do you do it?"

"Do what?" said Hiccup neutrally.

"You sacrifice yourself so readily but you hold yourself so apart from everyone."

"Well, yeah, I just don't like being hurt all the time."

"No, Hiccup. What I see is this. My mum was always there for me even when I didn't see it. I finally saw it when she threw off the clans and battled Mor'du all by herself to save me. But more then that she loves the kingdom. She sacrificed so much of herself she almost lost who she was to be the queen our kingdom needed. We're just a pack of unruly children compared to her. What I see in you is someone who loves incredibly deeply. You love Toothless enough to chase after him. You love your dad and tribe enough to defeat a terrible monster. You love dragons enough to train them to bring peace. I've never met someone with a heart as big as yours. Yet you have walls thicker then these protecting it and not letting anyone in. That's no way to live." Merida bopped her gloved hand on the battlements.

"Maybe. I just don't know. I've been hurt so much that it was the only way to stop the pain." Hiccup sat down with his back to the battlements.

"Hiccup, I don't understand you so much of the time." said Merida as she sat next to him.

"That is hardly a surprise. You're a Scottish princess and I'm a Viking dragonrider," said Hiccup.

Merida sighed, Hiccup kept doing that. "No, I mean you are unlike anyone I know. I know that stories about Viking are not exactly right, men tend to exaggerate. But you. You're different. You say your dad's name is Stoic, yet you actually are. I've never seen anyone like you. You have only the tiniest sparks of emotions. You taunt a dragon and have it chase you. You face down an entire clan of warriors with nothing but an injured dragon. And you never seem afraid. I see tenderness in your face as you tend Toothless. Do Vikings not feel emotion?"

"Of course we do, Astrid was jealous of me. Gobber cares deeply about us teens. Fishlegs is shy. Snotlout is full of bravado. The twins fight like cats and dogs."

"I am not talking about them, I am talking about you. There are only two things that seem to let you feel, Toothless and your helmet."

Hiccup froze, not even daring to breath, had he given too much away? But Merida respected him and cared about him. She was trying to get inside him but he didn't think she would ever hurt him. Hiccup sighed, he knew he would never get the chance to tell this to anyone from Berk. But someone might as well know, and he could trust Merida, mainly because she didn't have access to his tribe. He took off his helmet and propped it on his knee.

"Okay. My helmet is special. My father gave it to me before my dragon training final, to protect me. It's made of half of my mother's breastplate, his is the other half. To keep her close." He tapped it lightly.

Merida's eyebrows shot up at that. That seemed like an odd way to remember someone. Also the size of his helmet showed she had been a substantial women, maybe even bigger then Maudie.

"Mom died when I was about five, I hardly remember her. I had nothing to remember her by. When a Viking dies they load a boat with the body and their things and burn it so they have everything they need in the afterlife. So this was a surprise, but I am glad to still have a connection back to her. But in the ring I had to throw it aside to prove to the Monstrous Nightmare that I was not like the other Vikings. To prove that I wanted peace between us, but dad freaked out and the whole thing went south."

Hiccup paused to run his thumb along the edge of the helmet but Merida was watching him closely. "Then just before Snoggletog, It got knocked off as we were flying through a dragon mating migration. I let it fall into the ocean so I could get back to the village to find out what was going on, because I knew everyone would be worried. Toothless went out and found it himself though it took him days to do it. I thought I had lost him too." Hiccup gave Toothless a pat on the side. Toothless rumbled sleepily back.

Merida looked at Hiccup for a while and then stood up and turned around, her hair waving around her. "I don't understand you. Everything you say tells me you don't care one way or the other what happens, yet your actions are even more confusing. You'll risk your life to save the village that has been bullying you for your whole life."

Merida plucked the helmet from his knee. "Yet you'll easily throw away the one memento of your mother."

She strode over to the fire and held it over the flames. "Do you care about anything, anything at all, or are you just a berserker?"

Hiccup had his eyes on the helmet. He licked his lips. "Please, don't." he said simply.

"Why?" Merida demanded, lowering it slightly.

"I need it."

"For what?"

Hiccup bit his lip, "To remember."

"So? Why don't you care?"

"Because I have to be the big boy." Hiccup said quietly.

Merida gasped. "What?"

Hiccup leaned forward. "I have to be the big boy. I wasn't very old when mom died and they kept telling me that I needed to be a big boy to help my father. They had put everything of mom's on the boat and I didn't want mom to forget me so I put my little wooden Thor action figure on the boat so she could remember me in the afterlife. Big boys don't cry or mope around! Big boys help! Big boys do the right thing, no matter how much it hurts! No matter how much their hearts get sliced into ribbons all the time, by everyone they know and thought loved them! Big boys never show weakness!" Hiccups voice was raw and loud, and his fists were balled up on his legs, as he leaned forward.

Merida could only stand there clutching the beloved helmet to her chest. Hiccup sat back looking exhausted, running a hand through his hair.

Merida slowly stepped forward so she was standing directly in front of Hiccup, who was just looking at her. She held up the helmet, "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. You are more then a big boy. You are a man. The mightiest Viking on life," and placed the helmet on his head.

He bit his lip.

"I'm so sorry." Then she dropped onto his lap and wept into his shoulder. He was carrying a massive load on those slender shoulders and no one should have to carry that much, no one. But only he could put it down.

Hiccup put his arms around her and held her close, not sure of what to do with a crying girl. Astrid never cried and neither did Ruffnut. He didn't know anyone, that wasn't a baby, that cried, and certainly not as much as this Scottish Princess.


	8. Flying

~ Raided: A Mericcup Story: Chapter 08 : Flying

"So what was your first flight like?" asked Merida casually, as she and Hiccup sat down near the fire, watching Toothless curl up for a nap. The thought of riding a dragon was so very interesting.

Toothless could fully extend his wings now. They were settling down after taking him outside to flap his wings to stretch them out. He had thrown up quite the flurry of snow from the snowstorm the previous day. It was getting a little bit warmer; at least it was warm enough to snow now.

Merida was unprepared for the reaction she got from Hiccup's face. He smiled, not just a little awkward smile but a real all the way to the eyes smile. She knew she was seeing the real Hiccup, like when she had seen her real mum in her room just before the introduction of the suitors.

"It was amazing. Our first flight didn't go so well, because I hadn't figured everything out yet, hardly anything actually. I had created a new tail for him. It fit, though there was no way to control it yet, but Toothless didn't know that and took off anyway, with me hanging on to his tail for dear life. We almost crashed but I opened the tail and he took off into the sky. It was working, it was scary but it was also wonderful. The view was incredible and the feel of the wind was awe-inspiring. I figured out I could steer from back there and we crashed into the lake but it was wonderful. It took me a couple of weeks to work out all the kinks in the flight system. We flew tethered and stayed low, usually over water so we could crash safely.

"I was doing dragon training in the morning and the smithy in the afternoon and Toothless in the evening. I was exhausted but it was wonderful. Things were finally feeling right and good. Finally, everything seemed to be working right and it was time for the big test. We were able to take off and climb, turn and dive. I wasn't so good about avoiding obstacles at first. I was still getting a handle on the different positions. Mainly I think was so busy second-guessing myself. Then I wanted to see how high we could fly, which is really high, but then I lost my cheat-sheet, and I fell off Toothless. We were falling and spinning. I knew we had to get back together. I stabilized myself but Toothless slapped me with his tail. We were running out of sky but we got ourselves under control and I was able to get back on Toothless.

"I buckled in but we were going really fast. I hauled back on the harness and we were slowing, but not fast enough. We were flying between the trees; I was hoping to make it to the water but then out of the fog rocks appeared. I had my cheat-sheet but there was no time. I-we had to fly or die. I tossed the cheat-sheet and we flew, really flew together. We dodged left and right and even barrel-rolled around a rock. Finally, we were clear of the rocks and we were flying under our own power. We were alive. We had done it. I let out a yawp because it was the greatest thing I had ever done. Toothless then shot out a burst of flame and we flew through it. It singed me a bit. Toothless dove into the ocean and cooled me off, but also grabbed some fish. We settled in a cove on the far side of the island and had dinner. I learned there with some Terrible Terrors that everything we knew about dragons...was wrong."

Merida was gazing in wonder at the boy. He was so animated and intense. She knew she was seeing the real him, like her mum. He was so closed off so much of the time. She knew from what he had said so far that he was bullied much of his life but his shell had openings in it and she wanted him to be free and himself. Like she and her mum had become.

"Did you tell any one about that flight?" asked Merida.

Hiccup's face went from the bright love of flying to a neutral grey that seemed to be his normal face. "No. No, I haven't. I don't think anyone would believe me."

"I believe you." Merida said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks."

"Do you go flying often?" Asked Merida, trying to make Hiccup happy again, he was so ...alive when he talked about flying.

Hiccup smiled again. "Every day the weather is good enough. Flying in rain or snow is not fun at all. Really dangerous too, because you can't really see where you are going. Flying is no fun when the clouds have rocks in them." Hiccup gave Merida an easy, wry smile.

"No, I wouldn't think so. So, what do you do when you fly? When I go out on Angus I go through my shooting course and see some of the great views we have around us."

"Sometimes we just fly around and look for interesting places, but usually we work on doing tricks."

"Tricks?" Merida asked.

"Yeah, like our latest one has me jumping off of Toothless' back over an arch and back into the saddle. That was a tough one to get right, I tumbled a bunch of times, but the ocean is kinda soft to land in. Sometimes we would fly as high as we can I would dive off and we would free-fall together. Toothless likes to spin me when we do that." Hiccup had a gentle smile on his face.

"So, do you do those tricks in front of your tribe?"

"Oh no, it's too dangerous for them. Well, some of the simpler ones, Astrid and the twins love to come up with new tricks, but I try not to show off too much. Though, I make sure to keep pushing them so they learn how to really fly their dragons." He shared a smile with her about that.

"What's your home like?" asked Merida.

Hiccup exhaled slowly. "Berk. It's twelve days north of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death. It's located solidly on the Meridian of Misery. We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets. It snows nine months of the year and hails the other three. Any food that grows there is tough and tasteless. The people that grow there are even more so. We've lived there for 300 years, fighting dragons. The forest is quite extensive which is a good thing since the dragons tended to destroy a few houses each raid. Now it seems like they will last a while." Hiccup chuckled.

"Did you have any friends there?" Merida asked.

Hiccup became somber. "Friends? That's a good question. Most people tried to ignore me. Plenty bullied me. Gobber was nice to me; he believed in me, sort of, taught me things. Astrid was in the ignore camp, so was Fishlegs. Astrid only started beating me up when I was a problem in dragon training, she cared about what I was doing.

"Once you had Toothless, why didn't you leave?"

Hiccup gave an empty, joyless laugh. "Oh, I tried. I was all packed and ready to go. But Astrid followed me to the cove where I was keeping Toothless. She was roughing me up a little, trying to get me to tell her how I was suddenly so great at dragon fighting. Then Toothless and Astrid found out about each other. They were both trying to save me from each other. It was pretty crazy there for a second as I tried to keep them from killing each other. Then Astrid ran off to tell everyone. We chased her down and he picked her up and dropped her in a tree. I wanted to show her how wonderful it was to ride a dragon, but Toothless was still angry with her and dove into the ocean instead.

"He pulled some spinning maneuvers that almost made me retch. When Astrid apologized, he calmed right down, and we ended up having a wonderful ride through the clouds, but then we got caught in a dragon raid bringing in their kill and we found the nest and the Red Death. Now we knew where to go, but the Red Death was so big I knew the whole tribe together wasn't strong enough to kill it. Astrid wanted to tell my dad but I knew he'd just want to raid the nest. I was awake all night trying to find another option.

"I figured the best plan was to show the whole village at my final exam that we didn't need to kill dragons. If we befriended the dragons, they would stay with us and we could starve out the Red Death. At the very least, if the dragons were on our side we had a better chance of defeating the Red Death. Astrid was surprised that I would put the life of Toothless before the location of the nest. She respected that. She punched me for kidnapping her, but she kissed me for everything else."

Hiccup licked his lips and shook his head remembering that.

"But then you dad freaked out and you ended up fighting the Red Death all by yourself with Toothless."

"Yup."

"And winning."

"Yup."

"Merida, how do you shoot a bow like you do?" asked Hiccup. He was curious and now that he wasn't a prisoner and had a bit of a relationship with her, he thought to risk the question.

Merida sighed. "I can't tell you."

"I understand. Some things have to be secret."

Merida gave Hiccup a look. "Actually, I just don't know how we do it."

"You don't know." Hiccup was surprised, how could you not know how you do something.

"I'm not sure. For my mum and me, we go all calm inside and are some how able to shoot better and stronger then anyone else. We've tried teaching others but there hasn't been much success. It sounds like you have far better luck teaching others how to train a dragon."

"Well, sort of. It isn't that the others don't do well with their dragons, but some people, like my dad, can't seem to get it. He can ride a dragon but he just doesn't connect to them like I do. The twins seem to be the best at it, and I wonder if it is because they are twins." Hiccup spoke quietly to contemplate that idea.

"Lunch time," called a servant, that saw them.

Merida and Hiccup got up and walked back.

# # #

"Ready buddy?" asked Hiccup as he looked over the meadow and lake below the castle. The DunBrochs and the MacGuffins were nearby and many people were looking over the walls of the castle.

Toothless growled in agreement. It had been weeks now since he had been injured but the pain was gone and his wing could move freely now. He was eager to return to the sky.

Hiccup wasn't wild about the audience but there was nothing to do about it. He climbed onto the saddle, buckled in and said, "Let's keep this easy, just to see how you are feeling."

Toothless nodded, and then leapt off the high ground they were on and glided down the meadow. A few wing beats and they were able to clear the trees. It took longer then a vertical climb but they were now hundreds of feet above the castle, alone and free.

Toothless barked, and Hiccup replied, "Yeah, I've missed this too."

Hiccup turned in the saddle, pulled off his mitten and ran his hand over the wound site. He could feel a little stress around where the arrow had come out.

"Good job, buddy. Let's go back." Hiccup said but Toothless shook his head and turned toward a large mountain.

"What's up?" Hiccup asked, he looked around worried about that Death calling Toothless. Then as Toothless soared along the tree line Hiccup heard a sound from behind him, he turned and saw a long deposit being left on the mountain.

"Oh, yeah. You've been holding it for a while, haven't you? Feeling better?" asked Hiccup as the sounds stopped. Toothless made happy warbles as they soared back to the castle and Toothless spiraled down to the meadow. Hiccup slid off his friend and began massaging around the scars. He wasn't really strong enough to do much, but it felt a little good to Toothless.

"Oh Hiccup. That looked amazing!" shouted Merida running through the snow to the pair.

"Yes, it is. We'll need to build up his strength a little more each day, but he should be fine. Would you like a ride when he's stronger?"

"Oh, really? I'd love to." Merida said excitedly.

"Sure. The least we can do, for a friend." Said Hiccup, glad to see Merida so happy.

Merida sobered, "Thank you Hiccup, I know that friendship means a lot to you. Thank you."

Hiccup blushed a little as he focused on his dragon.

# # #

"Are you ready?" asked Hiccup.

"I guess so. This belt is really snug." said Merida. She was belted in behind Hiccup, preparing for flight. Hiccup and Toothless had spent some time every day flying and building up strength and Toothless had recovered quickly. Hiccup had invited her along for this flight.

"Merida, don't forget your bow!" called Elinor coming through the castle gate.

"Is that alright? It's not very heavy," asked Merida.

"Nah, that should be no trouble," said Hiccup.

"Why should I take my bow?" asked Merida of her Mum as she handed up the bow and quiver.

"Just in case you run into any dragons, dear. We are at war and it is best if you are armed." said Elinor.

"Thanks, mum." said Merida as she slipped the bow and quiver over her shoulder.

"Let's go buddy." Hiccup said to Toothless.

Merida felt the dragon crouch, gave a little butt wiggle and then they leapt into the sky. They quickly climbed hundreds then thousands of feet into the air. Merida's heart was pounding from the exhilaration of the takeoff as she gripped Hiccup around the waist. Then Toothless leveled out.

"Show off," complained Hiccup but without any heat.

It was windy and icy cold up here, and Merida could barely see the tiny figures of the people in front of MacGuffin's castle.

"Uh-oh. That will be a problem later," said Hiccup.

"What?" asked Merida, looking around.

Hiccup pointed. "That's a blizzard and it will be here in a couple of hours, if I don't miss my guess."

Merida could only agree. A towering wall of bright white clouds with dark undersides and snow was coming their way. They had not been able to see it from the castle because of the mountains.

"Could you fly over that?" asked Merida.

"No, we are near the top of how high Toothless can fly already, besides flying through snow is not fun."

"Should we go back?" asked Merida.

"Yes, but it doesn't have to be immediately. I want to fly to the coast to scope things out. There is supposed to be an island off the coast that I think may be a possible nest site."

They flew on, and Toothless would skim past the occasional cloud, which delighted the redhead as she reached out and touched it.

"Ah, I see where we're going, that's the Isle of Sky. That is a very pretty place. They have a place called fairy pools there. I so want to go there and see them, someday."

"Fairy pools?" asked Hiccup.

"I'm pretty sure that is only a description of how beautiful they are and they don't actually have fairies there." Merida said doubtfully.

"How sure, considering you are riding a dragon?"

"Um, maybe they are just will o' the wisps. I've met them before, they lead you to your fate, but yeah, we might not want to get too close."

"Right." Hiccup nodded.

"Oh, it couldn't be this easy," said Hiccup as they reached the coast after several minutes flight.

"What?" asked Merida, from behind the young Viking.

"See that island over there, with the dark patch on the side of the mountain?" Hiccup pointed.

"Yeah, so?"

"It's the right size for a Death to get through." Hiccup looked over his shoulder. The blizzard was getting closer, "We can make a pass to check, and then head back to plan a proper assault. With Toothless feeling better I can head back home and get the tribe to help take her down."

"Sounds like a plan." agreed the Scottish princess.

They come in low skimming the waves of the ice-cold sea, the spray like needles in their faces.

"I can't see anything," said Merida.

"Toothless. Light it up." said Hiccup decisively.

The great black dragon let loose a bolt of blue flame.

"Whoa!"

The sides of the cave were covered with dragons.

"This is the nest. Okay buddy, let's get back to the castle and tell everyone." Hiccup called and they banked right.

There was a muffled detonation.

The dragons began pouring out of the cave as a vast roar filled the air.

"Oh, man." said Hiccup quietly and nervously.

"What?" asked Merida feeling scared, that roar had been huge.

"I think we got her angry."

A massive dragon came dashing out of the cave.

"That's a really big dragon." Merida whispered.

She roared again as she saw them.

"Oh yeah. She's angry." Hiccup urged Toothless higher. He took a good look at the Death. It was different from the one he had fought; the scales had a distinctive green coloring to them. He was beginning to refer to it as the Green Death in his mind. Hiccup made a mental note to put that in his notebook for updating the Dragon Manual.

"So now what do we do?" asked Merida as the giant dragon spread its wings and took off after them.

"Um," said Hiccup as he looked around.

"Fly steady for a minute, I'm going to turn around so I can shoot at her."

"What?" shouted Hiccup as he felt Merida undo her safety belt, turn around and then buckle it back on. "Do you actually think your arrows are going to do anything against that?"

"Do you have a better idea yet?"

Toothless growled a comment. "No kidding, buddy. Why are all girls so crazy?"

"Does she have any weaknesses I can exploit?" Merida called as she fitted an arrow to her bow. She began to take deep slow breaths. Breathes that filled her core. Breathes that felt like they were filling her body from shoulder to buttock. A deep calmness wrapped itself around her like floating in a pond on a warm summer's day, as they were buffeted by the cold winds running before the blizzard.

"It has six eyes each as big as I am, so it doesn't have much of a blind-spot. It has big nostrils so it relies on hearing and smell. The wings are huge and fragile, but we would have to get closer for Toothless to take shots, but there is nowhere to hide..." Hiccup looked at the oncoming blizzard. Then back at the huge Death climbing quickly toward them.

"Okay, here's the plan. We're going to hide in the blizzard and fight it there."

"Fight in a blizzard? You said flying in a blizzard is too dangerous."

"It is but do you got a better idea?"

"No," said Merida calmly. "I can try shooting it and hopefully make it angrier."

"Good thinking." Hiccup wasn't exactly sure that making the Green Death angrier was all that great of an idea but it was something, besides she could never hit it.

He heard the twang of Merida's bow and after several long seconds as they fought their way through the winds, a roar.

"You hit it!?"

Another twang.

"Of course," came the unnervingly calm reply.

Another roar.

Merida loosed several arrows in quick succession, each causing a roar from the giant beast.

"Hang on, it's going to flame!" shouted Hiccup as they took evasive action. They wove around the dirty orange flames, but it was at the edge of her range and they were able to stay unburned.

"I'm out of arrows, I'm going to turn again."

"Hurry up, we are almost to the blizzard!" shouted Hiccup over the winds but he felt her arms around his waist.

Then they drove into the blizzard.

The howling winds of the blizzard began to pummel them. Hiccup tried to have Toothless climb a little and jinxed around trying to be somewhere other then where they had been heading to try to outsmart the Green Death, but the blizzard was buffeting them around anyway.

"Do you see anything?" called Hiccup.

"Wing!" shouted Merida. One of the great wings beat down just behind them. Toothless got off a shot that tagged the side of the beast, and they heard the rush of wind as they were barely missed being bashed by the heavy tail.

Then there was nothing but the swirling snow and howling winds of the blizzard's fury.

Several pounding heartbeats passed, and then they were just above the monster's rear quarter. Toothless got off another shot, and they were dodging steaming flames. The heavy snows of the blizzard absorbed the sooty flames. Then it was nothing but whiteness again. Hiccup was beginning to get worried as he knocked some of the ice off his gear. The tail was getting sluggish. They were all becoming covered in ice.

"Merida, we can't keep this up much longer. We're beginning to ice up. We're going to fall out of the sky before too long."

Merida opened her mouth to reply, but just then, the massive jaws of the Green Death appeared out of the heavy snow.

"Duck!" Merida screamed.

Toothless folded his wings and they dropped from the sky. The dragon-length teeth came together just feet from them, the heavy chomp reverberating in their bones.

They were all diving straight down. The only thing driving them was the pull of gravity. The Green Death roared its frustration, they could see it's vast outline close behind them in the heavy snow.

"Merida. Thank you." called Hiccup over the wind as the snowflakes raked his face.

"For what?"

"For helping me open my heart."

"Oh. You're welcome. We're going to find the ground the hard way, aren't we?"

"Yeah. Sorry." He didn't want things to end like this for Merida. He wondered if Odin or Freya would take a Scottish warrior in.

"No. It's okay. It's the right thing to do. Thank you for helping me save my people." Merida squeezed him around the middle.

"Your welcome."

A small blue creature appeared, flying along before them.

"Will 'o the wisp! Toothless, follow them!" Merida shouted.

A long line of wisps appeared and curved down and off at an angle. Toothless rolled and followed, they could still hear the Green Death roaring behind them. They could feel themselves pulling out of the dive. Trees began to whip past them, the wisps a curve in front of them.

They barely cleared a jutting prominence following the wisps. The heavier Death came out of the dive slightly lower. The sharp rock caught the Death and ripped open its belly.

The massive crunching sound overtook them as the Death's ribs were shattered as the rock gutted it. The explosion came from behind them as the white snowstorm turned bright orange and yellow. The wisps led them over a ridge and down into a ravine that was clear enough to see in. The blast rolled over the ravine. Dislodged trees flew through the air that they had to dodge but in moments, it was clear again.

"We're alive. We made." shouted Merida.

"Yeah!" yelled Hiccup raising his arms.

Toothless let out a blast of celabratory flame.


	9. Goodbyes

~ Raided: A Mericcup Story: Chapter 09 : Goodbyes

* * *

Toothless landed by a sheltered outcropping of rock. He used the last of his flame to heat the ground. Together Hiccup and Merida curled up in Toothless' protective embrace.

"Hiccup, are we going to be okay? We aren't really prepared for a blizzard," asked Merida, drawing her cloak close, it was a little charred on the edge but she had ducked behind Hiccup as they flew through the fire. They didn't have any food or water; they were only supposed to take an hour to look around. Eating the snow was too dangerous, it was so cold it would chill them faster and kill them. She knew they could last a day or two without food and water, but lack of shelter was a serious problem in a blizzard. However, the blizzard felt relatively warm after the terrible cold of this winter.

"We'll be okay, Toothless can keep us warm. Here, lay on me and cover us with your cloak."

"Hiccup that leaves you with your back on the ground, it'll suck the heat out of you and you'll die. I won't let you sacrifice yourself to save me."

"I won't. My riding gear is built for the cold, besides I am leaning on Toothless and he'll keep us warm. I want you on top of my because you gear isn't good enough for this, but your cloak is big enough to cover both of us and capture some of Toothless' heat, to keep us both warm."

Merida couldn't think of any other objection so climbed carefully on Hiccup, she was a bit bigger then he was so she was careful in how she placed herself.

"Is that okay? I'm not too heavy for you?" she asked as she moved the cascade of her curls off Hiccup's face.

"No, you're okay." said Hiccup as he pulled her hood over their faces. "Rest now, princess."

# # #

Fergus rushed out to the field in front of MacGuffin's castle. They had watched a black dot flying against the azure sky get closer for what seemed like hours, coming from the direction of the huge column of sooty smoke rising over the hills. They had sent a team of men to find out what that was, but breaking through the snow left by the blizzard was slow going.

They had been on the lookout for the return of the dragon, it was supposed to be a short trip to show Merida what a dragon could do, but they had only heard a massive explosion, then the blizzard had come over the mountains, and Merida and Hiccup were missing.

He had slept fitfully that night and Elinor too. He was certain Merida could survive, her woodland skills were up to the task of a blizzard, but that explosion had been worrying.

Now they were gliding in and he was barreling through the snow to meet them. Toothless backwinged and sunk into the snow. Merida leapt out of the saddle and floundered towards him. She slipped and fell, but he just lifted her up and hugged her close.

"I love you, Da."

"I love you too, Lassie."

There was hugging and kissing and he carefully put Hiccup down when he realized that he was hugging the boy.

"Ahem. You're late." Fergus rumbled.

Hiccup ran his hand through his hair. "Ah, yeah. Sorry about that. We found the nest and defeated the Green Death, that's what's burning over there. We had to take shelter because of that blizzard. Oh and we turned that column of men around for you."

"Sire, look!" called a guard.

Fergus looked the way the guard was pointing. A small dot was in the sky near the column of smoke.

"That must be a dragon with a rider."

"Do you think they saw you come here?"

"I would guess so. They are heading this way."

"Okay. We should go in and warm up."

"We'll tell you the whole story after we get something to eat. I'm starving." Merida said.

"Yeah. Toothless, stay here and watch for them." Hiccup said to his dragon.

# # #

Astrid could see Toothless frolicking in the snow as Stormfly glided over hefty looking a castle. It looked like Hiccup had found some civilization, and with Toothless out here, he wouldn't be a prisoner. Somehow, Hiccup had made friends with even the Scots. Astrid wondered how he kept doing that.

Astrid could see Hiccup leading a group out of the castle, so she circled and landed next to Toothless. She slipped down from the saddle, lifted her heavy winter flying hood, and stripped off her mittens. She considered taking her ax but only the two guards looked armed. They were being friendly; well she could be friendly too.

"Hi, Astrid." Hiccup took a step to the front as she approached. He had that innocent, clueless look on his face that always made her feel all ashamed. Before her face could color, she hit him on the shoulder, hard.

"Owhoow." Hiccup sounded like he was in real pain and that made her feel even more ashamed.

"That's for not coming home on time." She said harshly, trying to discharge the shame she was feeling.

Then she leapt on him and kissed him soundly. "And that's for being okay." She said more gently.

"Thanks. Astrid, these are my new friends. King Fergus, Queen Elinor, Princess Merida, Lord MacGuffin and his son Kevin. How about we go inside and warm up? We all have some stories to tell," suggested Hiccup.

# # #

These Scots seems quite at ease with her being there and had even welcomed her as a guest. Astrid would show no fear to these outsiders. She may be on their soil, but she was a Viking and a dragonrider. However, she had left her ax on Stormfly, and she was feeling a little naked without it.

Hiccup explained that the Scots had been attacked by some of the dragons he had been tracking. They had shot him down, captured them and patched them up. Astrid was rather curious about how they had shot Hiccup down, but she didn't think discussing that rather sensitive matter in front of the Scots was appropriate.

After another dragon battle, he proved himself to them by helping to save the boys, a rather well behaved set of triplets that was sitting on their family's laps. She had seen quite the pile of dragons off to one side as she had flown in. Hiccup was now their guest.

Hiccup was being sincere and factual in his storytelling, as he always was. He told the stories of what the others had done in fighting the dragons. Astrid thought this group had done quite well, but with Hiccup advising them, that wasn't really a surprise.

Astrid could not stand the pale little redheaded cow that was Princess Merida, even though she just sat there quietly with her bow and empty quiver. Who carries around an empty quiver? What a silly cow, thought Astrid. Vikings didn't need fancy little princesses like in the stories.

Astrid nodded when Hiccup said that column of smoke was a Death. She had used that as a beacon to guide her and recognized what it was as she had overflown it. It was getting hard to concentrate on what people were saying. She had staked her claim on Hiccup but knew she was going to have to defend it even more strongly now. She might have to push her parents to pressure Stoic into allowing them to get married sooner rather then later.

"With the Green Death dead, and the weather warming up a little. I would expect the dragons to head back to their old nest. Well, we better be getting back to Berk. Long fly, you know." Hiccup babbled.

"But we haven't shown any hospitality to your friend." said Queen Elinor.

"Thank you for all your help Hiccup. Have a safe journey. Boys, you are dismissed," said King Fergus. The boys ran out the front doors.

Hiccup said good-bye and shook hands with Fergus and Lord MacGuffin.

To Kevin MacGuffin he said, "Take care of her." Astrid's hackles went up at that.

Then he hugged Elinor.

"Know that you will always be welcome here," said Elinor.

"Thanks."

Elinor and Fergus came over and stood in front of, her blocking her view of Hiccup; she needed to keep an eye on him. Fergus was about as big as Stoic, but he had a peg-leg like Gobber. Elinor was giving her some instructions, so she tried to listen. "Now, Astrid, Hiccup was hurt, he's just about healed so make sure he gets some good rest once he gets home. You don't have to fly all the way home in one go, take breaks."

"Ah, yeah, sure thing." said Astrid distractedly as she saw Hiccup rush over to a cot and start picking things up.

Hiccup slid a platter of meat into his pack and came over to her, "Come on Astrid, I would have left days ago but the blizzard..."

"Yeah, blizzard," said Astrid distractedly; shooting a look toward Merida, but Merida was hanging back as Hiccup lead the away out of the castle. Astrid and Stormfly had ridden out the blizzard on a cold, lonely beach to the North.

Hiccup shooed the boys off Toothless, quickly checked the harness and climbed on. "Ready?"

"Just a second." Astrid gave another look toward the princess and climbed on Stormfly.

As they flew off, Astrid looked back. For some reason it felt satisfying to see that redheaded cow was running back to the castle in tears.

# # #

Aibhlinn was laying in bed waiting for her "husband" BigEars to come back from the Great Hall, really just an old sunk boat that they had recovered and turned upside down.

It was very cold outside, but it was warm under the blankets and furs; maybe a little too warm, she was beginning to sweat. The fire was guttering in the draft, she had banked it before he left but there was enough of a draft, that she felt on her face, to wake it up a bit. At least they had enough firewood; driftwood was piled high in the cove. She shared some with a few of the others to help them make it through this really cold winter.

She turned her head to look at the ceiling; she was gazing at the patterns the fire made on the ceiling, but not really seeing them. The bronze slave collar around her neck reminded her that it was still there.

She wiggled a little to get more comfortable. The bed was big and reasonably comfortable. A good thick canvas so the rushes wouldn't poke through.

She had to stay awake until he came home. That was one of the rules, so many rules. Not that it mattered, she always did something wrong. This was a simple job to do. He had made sure she could. She didn't like sleeping, it was not long after Winter Solstice, she was remembering her family and there were nightmares of fire and swords.

She called on Caillach's name morning, noon and night. Begging the goddess of death to come and take her from this nightmare. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right, everything in this place was wrong, but she didn't know of a way out. Each new dawn was a fresh wound on her soul when she saw the others meekly serving their slave master husbands.

She wished she could turn on her side but the ropes held her in place in the middle of the bed. BigEars had been generous with the ropes; he had wound them around her limbs many times so she couldn't hurt herself by pulling on them really hard like she used to do. He made her safe. He was being kind to her in his own way and she hated herself for appreciating it. BigEars cared about her, he tied her so her arms were under the covers. That was so nice of him. He was a proper husband for someone broken like her.

She deserved pain. She had failed her sister-slaves. She had submitted and so did they. She wasn't strong or brave and didn't deserve the love they still showed her. They said good words to her, words like love, sister, strong, and brave, but she wasn't and she couldn't believe them.

BigEars said words too, useless and weak and stupid and ugly, those words she believed, because they were more true to her. She had scars on her arms from her torture. Her lip was deformed now from nearly biting it off. Her back and thighs were scared from the beatings. Her beautiful long hair was cut short. She was ugly now. At least BigEars cared enough to still rape her. No one else would ever want her in this condition.

Being beaten was a good kind of pain for her. Pain was a friend. That moved the pain to her skin, where it was safe, if it gnawed at her heart she would do dumb things so BigEars would punish her, or she would punish herself.

It was pretty quiet in the village now. Hardly anyone screamed at night anymore. Most of the girls were pregnant and so their husbands had stopped raping them. Aileen still wasn't, that was good, it gave her a little strength to know someone was still resisting a little.

She couldn't really help her sisters anymore. She did little things, like a bit of extra food for one or two when she could, but she couldn't lift their spirits any more. Her own was too broken and dark now. Sometimes she just wanted to be alone all the time, but they wouldn't let her, they wanted her to stay and continue being their sister. She didn't understand why anymore. She wasn't worth it. It would be better for them, for everyone, if she didn't exist anymore. She was just such a weight on everyone's shoulders.

BigEars even said he would kill her after the Althing in the summer if she didn't get pregnant. That would be nice of him. He needed them all married for that long, and as many babies as they could get, so he could show them, show them all. She wasn't sure who he wanted to show.

She didn't know why she wasn't getting pregnant. He was raping her every day, but her periods were so heavy now. If she were barren that would be wonderful, then her children wouldn't have to grow up as Vikings. She hated them. She hated herself for submitting. She hated everything.

Aibhlinn heard crunching footsteps on the icy snow outside. She closed her eyes. She pulled at her bonds but she was tied too securely.

The door banged open and the icy cold caressed her face. The door slammed shut. She could hear BigEars slap the snow from his cloak and stomp his boots. She heard heavy boots fall to the floor. The scent of ale wafted itself up her nose. She could hear him laughing quietly, her insides turned to ice and her breathing quickened.

The floorboards creaked beside the bed. A slap rang across her face. "Wake up bed-slave."

Aibhlinn opened her eyes as her cheek stung. She tasted the warm flavor of her own blood on her tongue. The pain of her heart moved to her cheek.

She could see him smiling, his crooked teeth catching some of the firelight; he still had his snow covered hat on. "Rejoice, your "sister" Aileen is pregnant now too. That is everyone but you, my little bedwarmer."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. She heard fabric and leather fall to the floor. She grabbed onto the ropes holding her down.

"The strong always conquer the weak."

She cringed as she felt the blankets and furs pulled off the bed and her skin goose-bumped as the remnants of the cold night air caressed her body. She jumped as she heard the slap of a heavy cloth above her, then she gasped as cold flecks of snow landed on her bare skin. BigEars gave a low chuckle.

"I will get you with child."

She felt the bed sag under his weight. She was beginning to pant.

"I always win."

As his chilled hand ran up her thigh, he began to laugh, and she began to scream.


	10. Back to Berk

~ Raided: A Mericcup Story: Chapter 10 : Back to Berk

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid glided into Berk. Hiccup was amazed as it looked like the whole village turned out as they came in. Everyone was shouting questions, and crowding around him. Astrid was glaring at everyone as they dismounted. Hiccup was looking for his father, but so many women were so close to him, touching him. Astrid and Ruffnut elbowed their way right next to him as Stoic came barreling through the crowd.

"Hiccup, son!" called Stoic as he caught his son up in a hug. "You're alright. What happened? When you didn't come back in time we sent out search parties."

"Oh, ah, good. Did anyone find the message I left at Nest 5?"

"Yes, but saying you went looking for it didn't exactly help. I found him in Scotland." grumbled Astrid.

"Scotland?" Whispers wandered through the crowd.

"I found the dragons feeding off Scotland and I helped them deal with the dragons." said Hiccup.

"You didn't teach them to train dragons, did you?" rumbled Stoic.

"No, not really. They had worked out how to fight dragons pretty well, though I gave them a few pointers."

"Pointers?" Stoic asked.

"Could we talk privately, Dad?" asked Hiccup, looking at the crowd.

"Okay, everyone. I'm going to debrief my son. I want you to prepare a feast for his return, I'm sure he'll have quite the story for us then." Called Stoic. A few people grumbled but most of the women looked excited, as they ran off to prepare their best dishes for Hiccup. Astrid was frowning hard at the retreating backs of the women.

Hiccup grabbed Astrid's hand and dragged her to his house. "Hiccup, what are you doing?" she asked.

"You were there for some of it and you should hear this."

Once they were in the house, and got out of their heavy winter flying gear, Hiccup said, "Astrid, they are going to ask you all kinds of questions. Tell them about how you flew around trying to find me and that you found me with some friendly Scots and escorted me home."

"But that Death..." Astrid started.

"Death? What Death?" Stoic asked loudly.

Hiccup held up his hands. "Please, listen. Short version, I was searching for where Nest 5 went missing to, we found a dragon that the Scots had killed, then during another dragon raid I found that the Green Death was controlling them directly. We found the nest and flew into a blizzard to hide in. We made it run into the ground and it exploded."

Astrid broke in, "I followed the column of smoke the burning carcass made. I saw you flying and followed you to that castle."

"Castle?" Asked Stoic patiently, getting a story out of somebody generally took a while as they sorted it all out.

"Castle MacGuffin. They were under attack by the dragons. I had to help them defend themselves," explained Hiccup.

Stoic nodded, dragons had been a scourge on Berk for a long time. He knew Hiccup wouldn't be able to not help.

"You said they shot you down, how did they do that?" asked Astrid pointedly.

"I couldn't see any light because everyone was inside and the windows covered because of the cold. I thought the castle was deserted, but they were just hunkered down because of the cold. It was nighttime and we flew over it to see if how long it had been abandoned, but it wasn't. They shot in the dark and got lucky." He pulled off his shirt and showed the long slice up his upper arm. There was a fist-sized bruise from where Astrid had punched him.

"Sorry, about that." said Astrid reaching out, but Hiccup just covered himself again.

"So Astrid, please don't tell anyone about the Green Death yet. I want to talk to Dad about it in detail first. I'll tell them later."

"Not tell them...Are you sure? The last time we kept a secret..." Astrid glanced at Stoic.

"I'm telling my Dad first, it's a big enough story that I want him to hear it all first and I am not sure how long it will take." Hiccup explained.

"Okay." Astrid looked a little doubtful.

"It'll be okay." Hiccup assured her.

"I know it will, you'll make it work out." She said and she hugged him for a while before leaving. She needed to do something, in the weeks after Hiccup had left for her survey mission there was massive buzz of gossip among the women about her and Hiccup's relationship. Having him take her to his home was good, it reinforced her claim, but there was the feast yet. She knew almost all the women were better cooks then she was, though her mother had been helping her, she couldn't compete. As good as she was with her ax, she couldn't challenge everyone and she still wasn't big enough for a sustained fight, she could only win if she won quickly.

She had to win his heart but even doing tricks with Stormfly she could never outdo Hiccup, though she wasn't sure she needed to.

She wanted Hiccup so much, and the feeling that all the women of the tribe and now the women of Scotland were paying attention to him, was driving her insane.

# # #

"We dove for the ground as it was the only option left. The Green Death followed us down. It split itself on a mountain and we were able to duck behind a ridge to escape the explosion. We holed up under Toothless until the blizzard stopped and then flew back to the castle. We explained what happened to the Scots then Astrid showed up and we flew back here. On the way we passed over the nest but it was empty. They are back at Nest 5." Hiccup finished explaining.

Stoic sat back and thought for a moment. "So any idea where the Green Death came from?" Hiccup had explained that he was calling it the Green Death because it had green scales when the Death from Dragon Island should be called the Red Death because of the red scales.

"No, and it's pretty scary to think there are more of them out there. If the only way to find them is when they attack people, it may be a problem."

Stoic sighed and thought, "I don't think there is an easy way to find them so we are just going to have to be on the lookout."

"Yeah." his son said sounding defeated.

"Anything else?" asked Stoic.

"Yeah, the princess..."

"Yes?"

"I think she liked me, a little bit." Hiccup said quietly.

Stoic smiled tolerantly. "Do you like her back?"

Hiccup looked down and said, "I don't know. She was nice to be around."

Stoic put his arm around his son and said, "It's okay. You're young yet and there is still time."

"Thanks Dad. Dad, I don't want to tell anyone about the Green Death just yet. It makes me feel funny. I need to think on it for a while. We need a plan if there is a next time."

"As you wish, but we should alert people so they can be on the lookout."

"Yeah, I know. I just need a little time."

"Okay, but let's not keep secrets, that got us into a lot of trouble last time."

"Yeah." said Hiccup, but he had to try working a few things out first. Things were getting complicated, Astrid and Merida confused him and he didn't like that. He needed to figure that out somehow.

"Dad, do you know which tribe this is?" asked Hiccup, holding out a button with a triangle and knife on it.

Stoic took it and examined it for a moment. "No, I don't, but new tribes come into being often enough that a new one isn't a surprise."

"Okay, so how do you found a new tribe?" asked Hiccup taking the button back, curious he didn't have any idea how to create a new tribe. Wondering if that might help fix things with Scotland.

"You need to show the lawspeaker at the Althing that you have at least 50 men and women, where at least half of them are having babies, and have held your land for at least a year and a day."

"Oh, is that why we stayed here after the dragons started raiding us?"

"Yes, if we lost the island, we would have to start over as a tribe."

"Oh."

"So where did you get that and how do you know its Viking?" asked Stoic.

"I got it from King Fergus in Scotland. It is evidence from a series of Viking raids they had last summer." said Hiccup.

"Ah." said Stoic, uncomfortably.

"Why do Viking raid?"

Stoic shrugged, "It's a way to gain status, and go out fighting to get into Valhalla. The main reason is to get things that a tribe needs they can't get another way, like slaves."

"We don't have slaves."

"No, anyone taken as a slave is generally too weak to survive a dragon raid and we can't spare the people from protecting the children and the sheep."

Hiccup nodded after thinking about that. "Dad, why don't we raid?"

Stoic let out a weak sort of laugh. "We haven't had time with all the dragons we've had to deal with, and really we haven't needed to. For all the trouble the dragons have caused we were doing quite well here. The land is rich and fertile, the trees produce plenty of wood, and we have iron and coal in abundance. Even with the dragon raids, Berk is a good place. We'd be ridiculously wealthy now without the dragon raids and even so we aren't doing too bad."

"Dad, we almost ran out of food over the winter, the dragons kept us alive." pointed out Hiccup.

Stoic shrugged, "I know, but this was a lot worse winter then normal. In any case, we would have only lost some people, enough would have survived to keep the tribe going."

Hiccup shivered as the implications of what his father had just said hit him.

# # #

Astrid ran through the deep snow ruts to home, ignoring the questions the men throwing at her. She found her mom in the kitchen.

"Mom, I found Hiccup and we're back!" She ran over and gave her a hug.

"Yes, I know dear. I started whipping up something for you to give him."

"Thanks mom. What is it?"

"A good, hearty fish stew, something to warm him up after flying all day in this cold."

"Smells delicious. How do you do it so easily? Everything I try making tastes awful."

"Practice, lots and lots of practice. If you put as much effort into learning cooking as you do your ax, you'll be a great cook."

"I doubt that. I try so hard." Astrid snorted.

"Yes, but you also try to make complicated meals. You have to start small, like the first ax we gave you."

Astrid gave a small smile as she looked at the small ax on the mantle, it was all wood and it was tiny now, but she had played with it her whole life.

"We'll work on it some more tomorrow. You should also do something for Toothless, being nice to his dragon is as good as being nice to him, get from fish from out back and warm them in the big cauldron."

"Great idea mom." Astrid rushed outside and dug some frozen fish out of the snow. It was cold enough on the shady side of the house to keep the fish frozen that the dragons brought back. It took nearly half a day to fly to open water for fishing. They had an abundance of food with the help of the dragons and after thawing, the fish still tasted great.

This was the first time ever they had such fish, they usually had smoked or salted fish they had saved from before the ice set in around the island.

The ice was usually quite noisy, but this winter had become so cold everything had gone quiet. No pounding of the surf like in the summer nor the grinding sound of the ice in the winter. They had been completely locked in. The silence was eerie and made it hard to sleep, one of the reasons she had done looking for Hiccup as soon as he was overdue.

Giving Toothless thawed fish would be good. Astrid thought Toothless was looking a little tired. Thawing them first would make it easier for him too.

Astrid dumped the fish into the cauldron with a clatter and added water.

"Ah, ah, don't stock the fire, you'll make it too hot and it will scorch. You have to be patient, even when you don't want to be dear."

"Yes, mom." Astrid put down the poker and tried to just watch the food cook.

After a while, "Mom, what am I going to do about Hiccup and everyone?"

"What do you mean?"

"Most of the tribe came out when we came in and so many women were crowding him, touching him, trying to take him away from me. Ruffnut and I had to push them back."

"Well, he has all that status, it isn't a surprise."

"But he didn't notice."

"He is rather clueless that way."

"He just sees me as a friend."

"He needs friends, we weren't kind to him, and we have to live with the consequences of that."

"Yeah."

"Be his friend first, he'll notice you soon."

"Scotland has a princess, I'm sure that she is interested in him too." Astrid picked up the poker again, evaluating it as a weapon.

Astrid's mother sighed as sat next to her daughter, "Astrid, you can't fight your way through every problem. Some problems need different solutions. Cooking need patience and a watchful eye. You can't make a dragon like you but you can entice them to you."

"Yes, mom."

"You have a strong claim on him by befriending him and his dragon before everyone else, and you have more status then all the women. It'll be a great advantage to our family if you marry him. Your father is talking to Stoic about the possibility. It's a problem that Stoic doesn't have a wife, I have no way to influence him. You have to do what you can to influence Hiccup to like you. You have plenty of advantages over the older women. You are the same age, you are young enough to produce many good sons and you are a high status Viking. You just have to figure out what he needs in a wife and give it to him."

"Thanks, mom." said Astrid as she slid the fish into a basket and then trotted over to Toothless' nest.

# # #

"Gobber, do you remember your mother?" Hiccup asked. They were in the smithy, the forge banked and the stall closed; putting the tools away. He remember her a little, she had been killed by a dragon a few years ago, long after Valhallarama was killed.

"Aye." said Gobber, slowly as he hung up a sword in the rack. "Why?"

"She was from Scotland, wasn't she?"

"Aye."

"Did she miss it?"

"Yes she did, I could tell. She would do things on certain days, Celtic holy days, I've since learned. She did it in secret, Father would punish her if he found out, I never told."

"Did she ever mention her family?"

Gobber shook his head. "Only in her sleep. Words. Names, I think."

"I've noticed that the families of the slaves are smaller, just one son. Not like almost everyone else with brothers and sisters. Why?"

"I have no idea."

"Slavery doesn't really work does it?"

Gobber sighed. "No, not really."

"Why hasn't anyone else figured that out?"

"Stubbornness issues." Gobber said with a crooked smile. "Besides it's supposed to be fun, from what my father said. To challenge yourself against the other, to prevail, to see your enemies driven before you, to hear the lamentation of their women, to take their treasures and women."

"Gobber, we were on the losing side of that for three hundred years with the dragons. Was it all that great?"

"No, not really, but better then dying in bed and going to Hel. Eh?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

# # #

Hiccup was walking back from the smithy, he was headed for the Great Hall for a bit of food, when he saw Gothi and Ingrid the midwife stop in front of his house and after a moment of talking with his father went inside. Hiccup could tell there was something up. So he snuck in the backdoor, and hid behind the bean barrel, to find out what it was. He had overheard lots of interesting stuff that way.

It was finally Spring and the day was warm. The snow was finally melting and the ground was defrosting. Hiccup and Gobber were making plows and shovels, but now it was time for a break as the pieces tempered. Gobber was chatting with some customers and had sent Hiccup to eat, he'd be along later.

"...I know we have a problem. There are lots of problems this tribe is facing. What problem have I not been giving enough attention to now?" Hiccup heard his father say.

Hiccup heard a scratching sound, probably Gothi writing something.

"Women? What about the women? Aren't you taking care of the women?" Stoic asked.

"Yes, I am but there aren't enough of us." Hiccup heard Ingrid say.

"Not enough of you? Isn't the Viking Widows League big enough for you?"

Hiccup heard a couple of sighs. The VWL was quite the group of women, all the women who survived the assault on the nest but lost their husbands. He saw them often enough coming up from their daily bath in the harbor, now that the ice had thawed. They used to have snowball fights, a few men had wanted to join in but the women fought very dirty, stuffing snow down each other's dresses.

"I don't want anyone/ in the VWL!" Ingrid said with a certain amount of heat. "We lost a lot of people at the nest."

Hiccup shivered. They had lost so many people, the tribe had been decimated. If only he had been faster.

"We need to have everyone married again and making babies so we can rebuild the tribe, but we don't have enough women."

"What? Why? We are only short a hand full of women. The tribe can handle that."

"No, Stoic. Too many of the women are getting too old to have any more babies for certain. There are only two young women, Astrid and Ruffnut, that are becoming ready to have children, then there are the handful of toddlers we have, they won't be ready for a decade. Who are Hiccup, Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs going to marry? ...Who are you/ going to marry?"

"What?"

There was a creak of a chair and soft footsteps. "Stoic, we need you. You gave us Hiccup. We could use some more like him."

Hiccup couldn't believe his ears, someone thought him as valuable?

"You don't have to make a decision yet. Our time of mourning won't be over for a little bit longer, but we'll need to make a plan soon." Ingrid said solemnly.

"How can I marry someone else?" he heard his father whisper.

"Because you must, for the good of the tribe."

"But Val...?"

"You are never going to forget her and marrying another won't dishonor her memory. You two had one of the great love stories of our tribe, but she's dead and the tribe needs babies. Good strong babies." Ingrid said gently.

"I'll ...think about it."

"Good, that is all we ask for now."

"And where are we supposed to get these extra women for baby making?" asked Stoic.

Hiccup heard scribbling and the flap of paper.

Stoic's chair creaked as he stood.

"Are you sure about this, Gothi?" Stoic asked, slowly.

Gothi banged her staff against the floor boards.

"We haven't done a raid in a long time. We could lose more people that way."

More scribbling.

"Yes, the dragons would make it easier, but still...it isn't something we've done in a long time or ever with dragons."

"That's why we brought this up now, the spring planting is going well with the help of the dragons, soon we'll have to do something but not yet. Think on it and make a plan. You are good at that. We'll talk again in a few weeks."

Hiccup, quietly snuck out the back but didn't go to the Great Hall.

# # #

"Dad, we need to talk." Hiccup said as he came up next to his Dad, who was tending the fire.

Stoic sighed. "Sure, son. What about?" He spent his whole day mediating problems between the members of the tribe. It was beginning to be Spring and squabbles were coming up over lands and duties. He was proud that his son took such good care of himself without his help, but he was tired of all the conflicts sometimes.

Hiccup wanted to say never mind now, he could see his Dad was tired, but this was important.

"You remember me telling you about my time in Scotland."

"Yes."

"There are a few little things I want to bring up."

Stoic sighed, "What did we agree on, about keeping secrets?" So much death and destruction came from secrets. Stoic was trying to learn to listen to his son, because he knew he was half of the problem.

"I know. I know. I just needed to spend some time figuring it out, but I haven't been able to come up with an answer that works." Hiccup admitted.

Stoic cocked his head. He knew his son was really smart, solving intractable problems easily, often on the fly. "Well, if you can't solve it then it must be a serious problem. I don't know if I can help, but I'll try. What is it?"

Hiccup threw a grateful look at his father. "They told me that they are often raided by Vikings, that they...we come and pillage coastal villages and take slaves. They showed me a dress that they keep as a reminder. A girl, no bigger then Astrid, had had her clothes cut off and was taken as a slave. I think about how I would feel if people came and took Astrid or Ruffnut and I don't want the Scots to feel that anymore. They asked me to help them find a way to stop the raids and bring the women home."

Stoic looked at his son for a moment and asked, "And how would you feel if Astrid was taken?"

"I would be angry. I would do everything in my power to get her back and wreak vengeance on those who took her. I would make it so the perpetrators would never be able to do it again."

Stoic gazed at his son, weighing his words. Stoic knew that if Snotlout, the son of his right-hand-man, Spitelout, had said those words, Snotlout would would be raging, pacing and gesturing wildly. You knew he cared because of that. Hiccup had said the words so calmly and matter-of-factly, that you wouldn't think he cared at all. Yet here in the quiet by the fire, looking into his sons eyes, he knew his son meant it, and would see it through.

"King Fergus asked if his daughter and I married, if that would make a difference. I told him I didn't know and I still don't. It might for our tribe but we haven't raided in a long time and we are not exactly influential with the other tribes. All the solutions I've tried to come up with would lead to death, destruction and pain and I don't want that for either side." said Hiccup, sounded defeated. He was hoping that his father would bring up the raid that he had overheard so he wouldn't have to admit to learning about it.

"That's very good of you to consider." If there was something that astounded Stoic about his son was that great compassion he had. He should consider it a weakness but it had allowed his son to make peace with the dragons. But people weren't dragons. "So what have you considered?"

"In general terms: Dragon patrols around Scotland. The destruction of Viking ships and villages. That will bring war. I wish I was influential like you, Dad." Hiccup said.

"What makes you think you aren't influential?" asked Stoic.

"Come on, Dad. Nobody listens to all this." Hiccup gestured to himself.

"You haven't noticed yet, have you?" asked Stoic his eyes narrowing. His son was usually quite observant.

"Noticed what?"

"You remember that little talk I gave you about women after you got back from Scotland."

"Yeah," Hiccup blushed, hard. That had been the most uncomfortable talk he's ever had with anyone.

"You have/ noticed Astrid and Ruffnut hang out with you a lot."

"Well yeah, the gang tends to hang out together."

"Yeah, but Astrid and Ruffnut are always close to you, usually sitting right next to you."

"So?"

"Practically sitting on you when you are in your chair in the Great Hall."

"Ah, yeah." Hiccup blushed about that, it made him react to them in ways he was uncomfortable with, but Dad's explanation told him why.

"You haven't noticed the other women, have you?"

"W-what other women?" Hiccup asked, sounding panicked.

Stoic sighed. "Hiccup, a lot of women are interested in you as a mate. I haven't had to cook for months now." He gestured to the piles of food on the table.

"They aren't bringing it for me but for you. They are making the best food they can to gain your attention and hopefully your affection. Most of the widows, most of the women in general want to marry you."

"Wh-why me?"

"You really don't know? You killed the Death. You befriended a Night Fury. You ended the war with the dragons. You are the most powerful Viking ever. They want to have your babies to make the tribe stronger."

"Oh m-man." Hiccup was quite pale.

"Don't worry. I've told them that you are not going to make a decision right away. However, the memorial Thing is coming up soon. The widows and widowers are going to end their mourning and I will have to encourage them to start marrying. I expect many of the widows will ask you. You are free to marry who you will, you can even put it off for a while if you must, but not too long. You might want to act quickly though, some widowers might try to choose Astrid. You should talk to her."

"T-talk. Astrid." Hiccup nodded, jerkily.

Stoic smiled gently at his freaked out son. He sat beside him and put his arm around him.

"Come on. This is a good thing. You are the mightiest Viking on life. It's great having the women fawn over you. You have spent too much time alone. You need to get to know them, and try to find one that fills in your heart with good feelings. Did I ever tell you about how your Mom and I fell in love?"

Hiccup shook his head a bit more then the rest of his body.

"I'm sorry. I am trying to be a better father to you. I'm not doing a great job of it. Running the tribe takes up a lot of time, but that is no excuse, not any more."

Hiccup looked up.

"So. Your mother and I, we knew each other from the time we were kids like everyone here. Dragon training time came around and I was in the lead as usual. We were facing a Nadder in the maze, one of the typical training scenarios."

Hiccup nodded remembering that one.

"Well, I was trying to corner it and it cornered me instead. I was about to charge it down when Val came barreling in out of nowhere and knocked it over into one of the walls. It thrashed around and ended up dumping a few walls on top of itself, trapping it and us. We crawled to an opening and when we saw that the Nadder was trapped too. Val leapt into the air, her hands upraised and yelled "we did it!" Then she planted a big kiss on my cheek. Ah, nothing like sharing a dragon. I liked her before then, but right then I knew, really knew, that she was the one for me." Stoic said with a happy sigh.

Hiccup smiled a little, then he remembered something.

"Dad. Where did Grandma come from?"

Stoic sighed sadly, he should have known this question was coming. "She came from Scotland. She was one of several slaves Dad-Grandpa-bought when he went to an Althing and we were facing the same problem we are now." Stoic left that hanging.

"Not enough women to make babies." Said Hiccup quietly.

"Yes, you are paying attention then. Good." Stoic said proudly.

"No, I just overheard ...people."

"That works too."

"Dad... Did Grandma miss Scotland?" asked Hiccup. He vaguely remembered the metal collar she wore all the time. He remembered playing with it, but she didn't, couldn't take it off.

"I-I don't know. She never talked about it." Said Stoic after a moments thought.

"Never?"

"Not that I ever heard, at least." Stoic was looking thoughtful.

"But somewhere she had parents and maybe other family, missing her, in Scotland."

"Aye, they would." Stoic was sounding sober.

"It's wrong to do that to people Dad. War with the dragons was not the answer. Raids are not the answer. There has to be a different answer to this problem." Hiccup was speaking with great conviction and Stoic knew that his son was right.

"Yes, there should be. About all I can think of is to go to the Althing, we'll have to leave right after the Thing marking the end of mourning."

"Althing?" asked Hiccup.

"It's the big Thing where the tribes can settle disputations between themselves without having to have a blood feud. It's somewhat more peaceful that way." Stoic laughed a little, "I haven't gone in ages because the dragons kept us so busy. We should also go to introduce you to the other chieftains and the lawspeaker. We could also get some trading done. Yes, going to the Althing would be a very good idea and we may find a solution to the raiding problem. The lawspeaker should be able to tell us how to deal with what you want to do." Stoic said brightening. It felt right to go to the Althing. He was getting ideas of things to take for trade and to show off his son that he was so proud of.

"Run along, son. I need talk to Spitelout and organize a few things. Yes, this is a great idea." said Stoic as he stood and left Hiccup at home.

# # #

Hiccup had Toothless fly to the top of a tall mountain. Hiccup needed some quiet to think. It was windy and the air a little thin and cold but they were alone. He never seemed to be able to be alone with his thoughts anymore.

The smithy was always busy now, even with now that they finished the shovels and plows. Everyone was coming in to some little thing or other repaired, and they would gladly wait until he was done fixing it. Others would be at his house talking to his father about some little dispute they were having, and the Great Hall always ended up packed for dinner, Astrid would often have to fight her way over to her seat next to him.

The spring planting had been done in record time once the dragons understood what they were trying to do.

There was the adventure with Gobber and the Boneknapper. That had been nice, it felt like friendship. The meeting he had over heard between his father and Gothi bothered him. The Boneknappers were happy to be a family and they showed it between themselves rather often. They were rather noisy when they did it.

What his dad was thinking he didn't know, but he had to do something. What he had learned about the results of the slave raids were bothering him. He knew how he would feel with Astrid and Ruffnut were taken. It was wrong to raid someone but what could he do about it?

He was son of the chief, but he was nobody.

Right now he just wanted some thinking time, maybe another survey mission, that would clear his mind. That dragon nest that had attacked Scotland was back in its old nest, but now what. They really did need more people to train dragons, but the Vikings weren't such good people to manage them alone. They were so aggressive, and they might attack everyone just because they were more powerful with the dragons.

No, he needed to talk to someone, someone special.


	11. The Scotland Question

~ Raided: A Mericcup Story: Chapter 11: The Scotland Question

# # #

Merida came tearing out of the castle. Maudie had told her a dragon had been sighted.

She looked into the sunset. It was Toothless. She ran to wait in the big field as he got closer. Her parents and others came to see. The trees were covered in the bright green of new spring growth now.

She had figured out that Hiccup was trying to get away from her once Astrid had shown up. As her parents had talked to Astrid, Hiccup had cupped her cheek in his hand and looked into her eyes, then he had gathered his things and left without a word. She figured that it was somehow too dangerous for him to say something. It was obvious that Astrid was jealous, and dangerous. But it had left her feeling devastated for him to leave without actually saying good-bye to her and she didn't know why.

She knew that Astrid was dangerous, but so was she. Hiccup had said Astrid had basically claimed him after he recovered from their adventure with the Red Death. But she wasn't sure if Hiccup actually cared about Astrid or herself.

Toothless settled down nearby. Hiccup dismounted and turned to see her. He looked more serious, but his smile when he saw her was genuine.

"How are ye?"

"Fine. Nice place you have here."

"Thanks." she replied awkwardly.

"I'm...working on that raiding problem."

"Oh...good."

"Oh, go and hug him already." Elinor said giving her a push into his arms.

And they did.

# # #

"So, do you have a solution to the raiding problem?" asked Fergus in the great hall as a feast was being prepared. He was wearing his crown, something Hiccup hadn't seen before.

"No, not yet. Dad is getting us ready for the Althing in the Summer. The lawspeaker should be able to help us find a solution to the raids." said Hiccup sitting next to Merida.

"Indeed."

"The tribes are not organized but the closest thing we have to a unifying voice is the lawspeaker. He knows the laws and the Althing allows the tribes to sort out their differences without fighting. I know the war between men and dragons was mainly a communications issue. We should be able to resolve this by talking too. I'd much rather have peace then war."

Fergus looked to Elinor and agreed.

"Peace is hard work too," commented Merida, and her parents nodded. "The clans still have a certain friction between them, as they compete for my hand."

Just then servants brought in platters of roasted meats.

# # #

"Good morning." said Merida brightly, as she came into the stable where Hiccup and Toothless decided to bed down last night. Hiccup didn't want to be a bother.

"Morning? Already?" groaned Hiccup. The sun was indeed coming up.

"Come on, breakfast is almost ready. I even have something for Toothless." Merida placed a basket of fish in front of the still sleeping dragon.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming."

Hiccup followed Merida into the castle and they enter the Great Hall. Fergus and Elinor were there already, as are two others.

"Hiccup, these are my cousins, Moira and her daughter, Enya. They are visiting. They arrived this morning." Merida made introductions.

Moira was thin woman with long brown hair and gentle eyes, though they hardened as she saw he was a Viking. Little Enya hid behind her mother's skirts clutching a rag doll that had 4 braids of yellow yarn and a simple brown dress.

"Moira's here for the summer, her husband is the chief of a coastal town. Several of the coastal towns have sent pregnant and nursing mothers here for safety until we find a solution to the Viking raids." explained Merida.

"Ah, yeah. I'm trying to do something about that," said Hiccup.

"Really? Thank you." Moira rose and curtsied.

"You're welcome."

Maudie and the boys came down the stairs as servants brought in platters of food.

Merida gestured for Hiccup to sit next to her as Moira settled down across from them next to her Aunt Elinor. The boys sat next to Enya.

Hiccup filled his bowl with some oatmeal, as Fergus piled his plate with meat and sausages. The women were eating quite daintily, though Enya needed her mouth wiped of oatmeal from time to time.

Then one of the boys picked up Enya's doll. Enya noticed, dropped her spoon and yanked her doll back, but the boy didn't let go, he smiled at her distress.

"Mine!" Enya cried as she pulled harder.

"Boys, be nice." said Elinor. Fergus had just taken a big bite and was trying to chew enough to swallow so he intervene, he waved his leg of lamb toward the boy. Maudie was trotting forward to take the doll away.

"Stop it!" Everyone jumped at the shout and the crash of Hiccup's chair.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Blasted Hiccup as he stormed around to the two children. Everyone was shocked by his shouting.

"Let go!" shouted Hiccup as he got closer. The boy let go and ran to Elinor. The girl dropped the doll and clambered into her mommy's lap.

Hiccup scooped up the doll and held it close for a moment, then checked to make sure it was okay and then turned to the scared little girl and said very gently, "Take good care of her."

Then he ran from the room, his metal leg squeaking; leaving everyone looking at each other.

# # #

"Please, sit," asked Queen Elinor, gesturing to the brown padded chair in front of a small desk.

Hiccup sat down on the chair and glanced around the room. He winced as she locked the door. There was a large tapestry showing Merida dancing with a bear. A wide fireplace, some musical instruments and a desk that Elinor was walking around to sit behind.

He noticed Elinor was in a glittery green dress and crown, she looked very regal and on the whole, the situation was quite intimidating.

He knew he should not have shouted at the children.

The Queen had invited him to her office to talk. She was the strangest person he had ever met. She was a terrifyingly fierce warrior with her bow, especially with her daughter. He had seen a number of his fellow Vikings go berserk; becoming rage monsters while fighting dragons, but what the Queen and Princess became, was a place far beyond berserk. She was a sweet and gentle mother teaching Merida and the boys and the other children, which made everything even freakier.

Then she was also a queen and she was majestic like no one he had ever met before, but he could see some of that in Merida too. A friendly brawl had broken out one night after too much ale had flowed, back at the MacGuffin's and she stopped it cold just by standing up and clearing her throat. Somehow that scared him more then her bow.

Elinor gazed at Hiccup for a while.

"So what was that all about?" asked Queen Elinor.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again." said Hiccup.

"Good. You have to understand, the boys are very special to us. It was a hard pregnancy. We almost all died. I'm not a good mother to them, I spoil them something rotten." The look on Elinor's face was a little wicked.

"It's okay. I understand. We've had a large number of babies die in the last few years. Our tribe is not large and all deaths are a big deal. There is a bit of a gap between us teens and the adults and the children behind us."

Elinor gave him a worried look and nodded. "Did dragons kill them?"

"Not really, just a couple, mostly they just got sick and died."

"Oh." said the Queen sadly. Then she settled herself in a manner that changed the subject. "Well, it isn't like the boys don't deserve a good yelling at from time to time, but your outburst had nothing to do with them. There is something else going on, isn't there?"

Hiccup didn't know how to handle that question, but a part of him wanted to scrabble away as fast as he could. The look she was given him was very intense.

"You are quite the young man. Son of a Viking chief, accomplished blacksmith, dragon slayer, dragon rider, and a brave warrior." The Queen was listing his accomplishments like he was a fine boat or something.

"Ah, I'm nothing special." Hiccup looked away feeling embarrassed, though the words were true enough.

"Indeed."

He looked up as he heard something set on the table. The queen had put her crown down and the look on her face was warm and loving as she came around the table to sit next to him. It was a look that tugged at his heart.

Elinor got up and sat next to Hiccup, who found that a little uncomfortable. "Hiccup, I am worried about you. So often when I look into your eyes I see walls. The same walls I put up when I had to become queen and which almost destroyed my kingdom, my family, and myself. In your eyes I see myself. You are protecting yourself from hurts that haven't happened yet. I fear that things will begin hurting you from the inside and those can destroy you more thoroughly then a dragon."

Hiccup shivered, could everyone here read him so clearly? "I saw a scared kid in Toothless' eyes. You are a queen, and the most powerful person I have ever met. How can you see yourself in me?"

"Because I wasn't always like this. I was hiding myself from everyone, hiding behind a queen so I didn't have to be myself. It took my own daughter turning me into a bear to realize that what I was doing was hurting everyone around me, especially my daughter and myself. The worst part though, was as I was a bear, there were times I...stopped being myself completely. I would just be a bear. But I would come back and I would remember who I was and that I had lost it. I don't know if you will lose yourself like I did but I would rather you not find out."

She took his hand, "You are something special. Really you are, but I am worried about you. I look in your eyes and see the same walls Merida had and the ones that I placed around my own heart. I understand that you had to do that to protect yourself. I did it for the same reason so I could run the kingdom effectively. I had to make hard decisions that hurt others and myself. But what Merida and I went through taught me that closing off your heart changes you and not in good ways. I was trying to be a good queen, but I had walled off my heart to do that and I cut off my daughter and my family. I didn't see it myself. I was driving my daughter insane. She would risk herself in maddening ways because she couldn't find a way out. She turned me into a bear and only then could I see how much we were hurting. How much pain I was in, how much pain she was in, how much I was hurting everyone around me. I held up those walls for a long, long time but I was hurting myself keeping them up so much. I know you are a great pain. A pain so great you hide it even from yourself. Please, I would heal you of that pain. I've heard you tell us about you father and the others in your tribe."

Hiccup was amazed by what she was telling him.

Elinor pulled her chair a little closer. Their knees were almost touching. "May I ask you something?"

Hiccup wanted to push the chair away, she was so close. It was so intimate between the two of them, it wasn't something he was used to but it felt familiar, so he nodded.

"You've talked about your father, your friends and tribe, do you have any other family?"

"Well, there's Snotlout and his family, we're cousins." Hiccup shrugged.

Elinor looked at him for a long moment, sifting through what was said and unsaid. "It's safe here. I won't judge you for anything that happens here." she asked very gently, putting a hand on his knee. "What's your mother's name?"

"Valhallarama." Hiccup whispered.

"How did your mother die?"

Hiccup retreated inside himself, behind the huge stone walls that protected his heart. He had never told anyone about that. He knew he could lie, say that he didn't remember, but it wasn't the truth.

These people were so kind and good. They had toasted him in the Great Hall for his part in the battle. They had hugged him. They had berated him for endangering himself. They cared about him as a person and not just someone with the answers to their dragon questions or hoping that maybe this time he'd be killed and no longer be in their hair.

He lowered his eyes because it took effort to lower his walls, he had kept them up a very long time. He bit his lip for a moment. "I was a kid, there was another dragon raid. Mom was with me at home. There was a Hideous Zippleback and it was filling our home with gas. I was scared of the gas, I knew it was a bad thing. Mommy told me not to cry, she would take care of me. She grabbed me and we dove out of the back door just as our home exploded. We went flying, I was crying. Mom picked me up again and scrambled for cover. We ended up behind some houses and hid between some cabbage crates. I was scared and crying, but Mom told me not to cry.

"Then a Gronkle came down behind her. She stuffed me in a cabbage crate and bopped the dragon with her ladle, making it go away. I tried to stop crying, she ran her hand over my head. Then there was a Nadder and she whacked him with an oar. Then there were more Nadders and she fell down and, and, they bit her. They fought over her like a rag doll."

Elinor gasped and gathered Hiccup into her bosom.

Hiccup kept talking. "She was screaming. Dad and others came and fought off the dragons, but Mommy was...dead. Daddy was sad, but he didn't cry. I didn't cry. We had a funeral boat just for her. I snuck my Thor action figure on board so she would remember me."

"You are a good boy."

Hiccup shook his head. "It was my fault."

"No, no. It wasn't. It's okay. You are allowed to be afraid."

"I'm afraid all the time."

"I know, so am I."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Does it get any easier?"

"No."

"Oh."

"Just keep doing the right things."

"But I fail so often."

"We all do."

"Will I ever know happiness?"

"Yes. You will."

"When?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, okay. Elinor, your husband is as as big and strong as my father, I've fought dragons, but why are you the most fearsome warrior I have ever met?"

"I'm a mother and mothers protect their own. I would protect you too."

Hiccup licked his lip, "Yeah. Thanks."

And so they held each other for a while, taking comfort in love.

# # #

Hiccup and Fergus were talking as they wandered around near the gates of Castle DunBroch when they heard an angry shout, "Viking! Viking!"

They turned and Fergus saw an enraged Struan running through the gate toward them.

"Where is my sister? You Viking scum!" Fergus caught the angrily flailing young man.

"Struan! Struan, stop it! He's trying to help!" Fergus yelled at the distraught boy.

"But my sister and Aibhlinn. My village!" Struan shouted, trying to push his way around the king.

"Yes, I know, they and so many others were taken. Hiccup is trying to help us find a way to find out what happened."

"A Viking?" Straun asked incredulously.

"Do you really think we can find out where the Vikings took them without talking to a Viking?"

"I-I guess not," said Straun, a little confused but more calmly.

"Come, let's go inside. Hiccup needs to hear your story."

# # #

"After the fog lifted and the Vikings were gone we buried our dead and gathered up the dresses of the taken women. After the others mourned them, I came here to try to get help getting them back." finished Struan.

"You said the others mourned them. Do you mean you didn't?" asked Hiccup.

"I mourned the dead, especially Aibhlinn's parents. She was their only child, they had tried for so long, but I won't mourn the living. I will get them back." Hiccup could see that anger and passion in the teens eyes, but then Struan deflated. "But I have no idea how to even start, except to come here and remind the king of his duty."

"I cannot forget. We keep Aibhlinn's clothes in our chambers as a constant reminder." Hiccup saw Fergus put a hand on the teen's shoulder. Hiccup could feel their anger, frustration and helplessness. How often had he felt that way growing up on Berk? How it would feel to him if raiders came and took Astrid and Ruffnut? It would feel exactly the same.

"Struan. I am not sure how to help. I am not exactly influential in my tribe and my tribe is just a minor little tribe. But I'll do what I can to stop these raids and get your sisters back." said Hiccup sincerely.

Struan looked at Hiccup, then nodded, "Thank you."

# # #

"My life doesn't make any sense anymore!" Hiccup said loudly.

"Please, Hiccup. I want to understand but you need to explain what happened" Said Merida.

This morning she had noticed that Hiccup was antsy, finally she had suggested that she show them around the DunBrock lands. He had leapt on that idea like a starving dog. In minutes they had mounted Toothless and were flying over the loch. Now they had come down on the high ridge where she loved to come with Angus to overlook the highland valleys. Far below were sheep in a summer pasture.

"The VWL is pressuring my dad to go on a raid to get more women. We have even more dragons now that Gobber trained the Boneknapper, people are listening to what I say, and some of the women are eyeing me for marriage!" said Hiccup pacing back in forth like a caged animal.

"Hic, please. I couldn't understand any of what you just said, none of it made any sense."

"That's the whole problem. Nothing makes sense anymore. Even this very moment makes no sense. Here I am talking to a Scottish Princess on top of a mountain because we flew here on a dragon!" Hiccup gestured dramatically to everything.

"Yes, you did, because you have done some of the most brave and selfless things I have ever heard. You have done astounding things and probably will your whole life. But you said something about raids for women. Does that mean they are coming here?" Merida was scared of more raids, they had to do something, but nothing had worked so far. The thought of being taken, her clothes cut off and enslaved to be a wife to someone she had never met and could never love terrified her. She knew down in the depths of her heart she might have married even Mor'du if given the chance to live or fought hard enough for him to kill her.

"No, not here specifically, but Scotland in general, or England or anywhere they can reach."

"And someone is pressuring your dad into doing it?" Merida thought that had some possibilities if Stoic didn't want to, then maybe he could be persuaded not to.

"Yeah, the VWL." Hiccup said as he stumped past her again.

"The who?"

"Oh, ah, the Viking Widows League."

"Widows? You mean to tell me _women_ are asking your father to kidnap other women as wives!?" Merida was stunned, how could anyone, much less another women condone, much less advocate for something like this?

"Yes. They are worried that we can't make enough babies to replace all the people we lost to the Red Death, some of the women are too old to make babies. Another problem is that our babies are getting weaker and we need some fresh blood to become strong again."

"Weaker?"

"Yeah, I'm more of a talking fishbone then a properly sized Viking, and that is a problem. The twins, and Astrid are only slightly bigger then me, Snotlout is somewhat bigger but only Fishlegs is even close to Viking sized but he's only as big as a woman."

"Oh."

"Indeed. Astrid and Ruffnut are the only ones coming up on child bearing age, there are some toddlers and young children but again, not enough and not soon enough.

"Oh, dear."

"Yeah, Berk needs women, but it seems like we have no idea how to get more other then raids."

"You could ask."

"Ask!? Are you kidding? This is Berk we're talking about, not Scotland. Until very recently everything on or near that island would try to kill you. We still have to deal with the weather, it snows nine months of the year and hails the other three. Who would want to live there?"

"You do." Merida was wondering if she wanted to.

That stopped Hiccup. "Well, yeah. I'm a Viking, we have stubbornness issues." He shrugged then sat next to Merida on the rock warmed by the golden sunlight.

Merida waited but finally she asked. "More dragons?"

"Yeah. Gobber's home almost burned down and he thought it was his nemesis, the Boneknapper dragon."

"Boneknapper?" Merida asked, that sounded really ominous.

"Yeah, it's a dragon that doesn't have scales so it builds a suit of armor out of bones from other dragons."

"That sounds macabre. Also rather intelligent. Really scary, too."

"It's okay, they are bleached out bones it finds. Everyone was saying that the Boneknapper was a myth because except for one entry in the Dragon Manual there was no other evidence of it anywhere. But Gobber said it did and was going to go after it himself. I couldn't let him do that, he's been like a second father to me. So I asked the team to come along and aside from some grumbles from Snotlout, we went and found the Boneknapper and his harem."

"Harem?" Merida said, curious about the implications of that word.

"We didn't just bring back a Boneknapper but also four females. We took a boat and went searching. We got so caught up in Gobber's stories that we got ourselves shipwrecked. Gobber set up a trap with Fishlegs and it sorta worked." Hiccup shook his head.

"Sorta?"

Hiccup let out a snort. "We ended up in the trap, with the Boneknapper trying to get to Gobber. I figured out that the bone Gobber used to keep his pants up was the bone the Boneknapper needed to make a perfect coat of armor. We shouted at Gobber to give it back. Then I shouted alone and Gobber did it. The Boneknapper was finally able to roar, the missing bone had disabled his roar. Gobber made friends with it and so the island now has 5 mythical Boneknappers living on it."

"Okay, and what about people listening to you."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, that. That's freaking me out. People mostly treat me as ordinary now, which is a lot better then before but, I've started noticing something recently. Particularly after the Boneknapper adventure."

"What?"

"People are asking my opinion about things and if I make a suggestion, they go and do it."

"Yeah, so?"

"Heh, I keep forgetting you don't know what it was like before. Before, I was functionally invisible. People outright ignored me. I was like a piece of furniture or a ghost. Unless, of course, I was, you know, actually doing something and then they were worried I'd destroy the village."

"Did you ever destroy the village?"

"Ha, never even got close."

"But you could, if you wanted too?" Asked Merida, her eyes narrowing.

Hiccup thought for a minute, "Well, most of it. The Great Hall is pretty secure, it's carved into the mountain."

Merida just looked at him for a moment, "You really did just think of a way to destroy almost your whole village just now, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, you just asked me about it."

"And it would work too." It was a statement not a question.

"Of course. Well, probably. The stupidest things can mess up a perfectly good plan."

"And how do you feel about that?"

"It would be annoying to rebuild the village again, but dragons burned down a house or three every raid so it's no big deal."

"Yeah. And you said something about women..." Merida left it hanging. The nonchalance of the destruction of his village was disconcerting but not a surprise from the way he's acted before.

Hiccup rocked back, running his hand through his hair. "Oh man. The women. It used to be that widows would come by bringing cakes and cookies and even whole meals over for dad. That was no big deal. Dad would be nice to them but wouldn't let things go anywhere, so they would marry someone else. Dad still loves Mom and won't let anyone take her place. But the VWL is asking him to get married again too. They think the tribe could use a few more like me." Hiccup finished in a whisper.

"Would that be so bad?"

"Nobody should go through what I did." Hiccup said quietly.

"With you as their big brother, I know they wouldn't." Merida put her hand on his shoulder.

Hiccup gave her a grateful look.

Then he sobered. "But now women are bringing me food. They want to marry me."

"Well, why not? You are the chief's son and slayer of the biggest dragon ever, twice."

"I haven't told them about the second one. Astrid and my Dad know but I asked them not to say anything until I did. I don't feel ready to get married. To have children, to be a father. I barely know how to feel human, much less grownup."

"I know how you feel." Merida said ruefully. "I come here to get away from it all. To have some quiet and think."

"I know you do, that's why I came. You are the only one I've ever met who can understand what I'm going through." Hiccup put his hand out and Merida took it in hers. "Have you found a solution yet?" Hiccup asked.

Merida sighed, "Not really. If it was as simple as choosing who I think I could come to love someday it would be pretty easy, but it's not. I want to like Wee Dingwall, he did shoot the lucky arrow, but I can't stand him. He really is a lovable guy, he's like a puppy but I don't think he can ever grow up. He would make a terrible king, but his father is powerful and very proud. It is possible if I do not choose Wee there could be a war."

"Oops."

"MacIntosh might have made a good enough king, but he's too interested in satisfying himself rather then putting the kingdom first. His father also tends to deflect responsibility, take credit for things he hasn't done and those are not good qualities in a king."

"No, it's not. Actually, I think my dad takes on too much, it would have been nice to see him a bit more."

"Well, he out of the running now anyway. He was here a couple of weeks ago, he showered me with gifts, and smooth words, but then he put his hand up my skirt."

"No!"

Merida was gratified by Hiccup's reaction. "I threw him out of my room, actually he was rather lucky the door was open, he ended up in the hallway. I was angry and he scampered as I went for my bow. I was screaming at him. Mum and Da came running, they couldn't understand my screeching, by the time I got the point of what happened across, he was out of catapult range. Da was really angry and wanted to avenge the insult, but Mum talked us out of that. She sent a letter to Lord MacIntosh telling him that his son was officially out of the running."

"That's all? That would have sparked a blood feud back home."

"The Queen is trying to prevent that. She has called Lord MacIntosh to come in person to apologize and to punish his son in front of me, to make restitution."

"Well, okay then. Actually, that sounds a little like how the Althing works."

Merida squeezed his hand. "Yeah. You remember Kevin?" she continued at his nod. "He would be a good choice. I think I like him. He's gained a lot of confidence since battling the dragons."

"Nothing like slaying a dragon to boast one's status."

Merida smiled, "Indeed. He would be a good king."

"So what's the problem. Good king, you like him, then marry him."

"There is someone else in the mix now," said Merida tentatively.

"Oh, who? Do I know him?" Hiccup asked.

Merida just looked at him for a moment, then rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you know him. He's you."

"M-m-me?"

"Yes, Hiccup, you. You saved my people from the Green Death. You are smart. You are selfless. You have the qualities a good king should have, and-and I like you." Merida finished shyly.

"Oh man. I came here to make things simpler." Hiccup ran a hand through his hair.

"I know. I'm sorry, but I need to be honest about all this."

"You just gestured to all of me."

"I know." She looked out over the Highlands.

"Oh look, it's almost time, come on!" Merida said jumping up and running over to Toothless.

"Come where?" asked Hiccup, standing carefully on his metal leg.

"I'll show you. It's that way." Merida pointed.

Soon they were airborne and they were coming up on a waterfall. "See that tall outcropping of rock? That's the Crone's Tooth. Only the great kings of old were brave enough to climb it and drink from the Firefalls. I did it in a dress." Merida proclaimed proudly.

"Really?" Said Hiccup as he directed Toothless toward the top of it.

"Hey, we're supposed to climb it to show our bravery."

"We're riding a fire breathing dragon." Hiccup pointed out.

Merida struggled with that. "Well, okay, just this once."

There wasn't much room at the top so Toothless ended up hanging on the side of the spire as the two teens clambered off.

"So Firefalls? Looks like water to me." Said Hiccup looking up at the tall falls, feeling the spray of the falls on his face.

"Wait for it." Said Merida slowly, looking at the sun which was hiding behind a cloud just then.

"For what?" Asked Hiccup, looking around and back up the falls, as the sun cleared the cloud.

"This!" Announced Merida, as the falls blazed red with the evening sun's light.

"Whoa," whispered Hiccup, looking up at the transformed falls.

Merida went over to the falls and held out her hands and brought the water back to Hiccup. She was looking at her cupped hands and then she looked up through her lashes as she held out her hands. Merida was biting her lip. Hiccup lowered himself to her hands and drank. He could smell apples from her skin and feel her warmth as his lips brushed her palms.

As he straightened, he could see the blush on her cheeks and her quickened breath. His heart was pounding as he caught some water in his own hands and offered to Merida, who drank deeply from his hands, her lips burned hotly on his palms. He blushed as his thumb brushed her cheek as her hair tickled his arms.

She looked up, her red lips parted after she swallowed. They were looking into each others eyes. He was panting, and they moved closer together.

Toothless was quietly crooning.

Getting closer. Her eyes closed and head tilted.

A cloud covered the sun again and the teens shivered in the sudden, sodden cold.

"Ah, so how do we get back on Toothless?" asked Merida, as the moment shattered into a thousand fragments of broken futures.

Hiccup looked over the side of the spire. "Hey buddy, up for a dynamic mount?"

Toothless gave an excited bark and wiggle.

"What's a dynamic mount?" asked Merida.

"We jump!" said Hiccup grabbing her hand, with a big smile.

Merida saw Toothless gather himself. They took two big steps and leapt into the air.

They were falling and Merida was screaming. Then Toothless was between their legs and she held on as Toothless pulled out of the dive inches above the ground. Toothless flew low and straight as Hiccup hooked them in, then rose up into the sky for the flight home.

# # #

Author's Note: Hiccup lost a couple of hours by flying so far East, he has jetlag, but doesn't have a word for it yet.


	12. Joinings

~ Raided: A Mericcup Story: Chapter 12: Joinings

"Her hair is like a fully enflamed Monstrous Nightmare. Her eyes are blue like the clear sky after a blizzard. Her hands are strong and callused but her touch is gentle like pussywillows. She smelled of apple. Her skin is like warm cream. Her face is round like a bowl you cup in your hands before drinking in her wonderful goodness." Hiccup had his hands cupped before him.

"And her lips." Ruffnut cooed.

"H-her lips..." Hiccup licked his own.

"sNerk." A slightly muffled laugh came from Tuffnut.

Hiccup snapped out his revere. He looked around at the other teens and dashed away into the darkness beyond the bonfire on the observation deck, blushing bright red.

"Aw, you had to ruin it, didn't you." Ruffnut complained hitting her brother.

"Stop it! Won't you ever stop it?" shouted Astrid, rising and spinning her ax in her hand.

Everyone stared at her.

"Can't we be nice to him for once? Can't we stop hurting him?" Astrid asked.

"Hey, we're being nice to him. He's part of the gang. We're only giving him a hard time." said Snotlout.

"Oh, come on. He doesn't see it that way. He's always been make fun of and harassed. Does it feel any different to him? I don't think so." Astrid just watched Hiccup run off into the darkness and then she sighed.

"What's wrong with you?" Tuffnut asked.

"I'm just not good enough." Astrid said.

"What do you mean? You're a great Viking." Tuffnut said.

"I am a great Viking, but Hiccup is a great person. I should have stopped you before he ran off."

"What's the difference?"

"Hiccup cares about more then just the tribe. He stopped the war with the dragons because he cared about Toothless and the other dragons." Astrid gave Stormfly a scratch on the nose. "You...we tormented him for being different. I stood by and let you. I never once defended him. If he wants to give his heart to Merida, I can't blame him. I don't deserve it."

"Come on, you've already claimed him. Everyone saw how you kissed him when he came back around."

"I may have claimed him, but that doesn't mean anything to him. He used to crush on me, hard, but not anymore. He's growing into a real man and I can't compete with him."

"Sure, you can. You could whip his butt if you wanted." Ruffnut stated.

Astrid shook her head and laughed a quiet laugh. "Remember when all we ever wanted was to kill a dragon." They nod. "We knew exactly how much status killing each kind of dragon was worth. We knew how many dragons Stoic and the others fought and how much status they have. Fishlegs, break it down for them."

"Ah, you see, it was, and there's the whole..." Fishlegs stuttered as he fiddled with the tavern puzzle in his hands.

Astrid picked up her ax and Fishlegs sighed.

"Okay. I'll start with us. We came in riding dragons to fight the third biggest dragon we've ever heard of, which was wiping out our families." Fishlegs said.

"What do you mean third biggest? That thing was huge. The Death wasn't even mentioned in the Dragon Manual. What dragons are bigger then a Death?" Astrid asked.

"Jörmungandr. Nidhug" Fishlegs prompted.

Everyone just looked at each other. The world dragon, said to wrap completely around the world under the sea grasping its own tail. Foretold to die in battle at the hands of Thor at Ragnarök and Thor to die of his poison as the world broke. Nidhug was chewing at the roots of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, when finished, it would begin Ragnarök.

"We came in riding dragons, in front of the whole tribe, on it's home turf. Snotlout was on it and made a joke as he was hitting it in the eye. The twins are next because of the insults and saving Snotlout. Astrid, you assisted so much, keeping us in the fight a lot longer then we deserved, getting Hiccup into the fight, and almost sacrificing yourself so the twins could get Snotlout out."

"And you? You came up with the battle plan on the fly." Astrid asked pointedly.

"Yeah, and figured out the noise thing, and tossed my hammer to Snotlout," finished Fishlegs.

"So where does all that put us?" asked Astrid.

"We are up there with Spitelout and Stoic. Something that took their whole lives to do, we did in a single battle." Said Fishlegs,

"And Hiccup?" asked Astrid.

Fishlegs looked uncomfortable. He was glad people were treating Hiccup like a regular person now, but he deserved so much more. Hiccup hadn't made an issue of it, so he hadn't either. Now it was going to come out. It had to.

"Come on Fishlegs. We already know he has a lot of status. Even if we don't admit it out loud." Astrid shot a look at Snotlout. "He asked us to go hunting the Boneknapper for Gobber and we went. Nobody wanted to, but we did anyway. Just because it was him asking."

"If we start when we got involved. He tamed the training dragons, and flew us to the dragon's nest. There he organized us to fight the Death while he rescued Toothless, which Stoic assisted on. Saved his girl." Fishlegs glanced at Astrid, she looked away but didn't deny it.

"He then fought the Death riding the most feared dragon we knew about. He defeated the Death on it's home turf, in front of the whole village and lost his leg in the process."

Tuffnut whistled as he understood how that added up, that was way more status then anyone ever had all in a single battle which just upped it even more.

"There's one more thing." Fishlegs began quietly, "Please, don't tell Hiccup or anyone that we know this, but it is important. This happened before we got involved. My mum was in the kitchen of the Great Hall, she was minding the feast for after finals. She heard something that happened between Stoic and Hiccup."

"What?" asked Ruffnut.

"Stoic disowned Hiccup as a Viking and a son before they left for the nest. He was Nithing." Fishlegs whispered.

"What!? No!" Astrid jumped up.

Fishlegs nodded. "He did all that as a total outcast. He wasn't even an outlaw. He didn't have to do any of that. He could have, he should have, let everyone be wiped out by the Death, but he did it anyway."

The twins just sat quietly as close together as they could be. Snotlout had his hands on his eyes. Astrid had tears running down her face as she turned to look into the darkness where Hiccup had disappeared. Finally she turned, staring into the fire. "Great Odin's Ghost. I knew he had status, from Dragon training. He was doing so well, after all the blunders he made. I tried to save him from Toothless when I found them in the forest, but he saved me instead. I had just whacked him with my ax, to punish him for being so good at dragon training. For upstaging me, I was jealous of him. He could have done nothing and Toothless would have killed me. He's not like any other Viking I've heard of. I can't compete with that. After he woke up, I wanted him. I knew in my gut that he had massive status and I wanted that. All of us do. Like Gobber's Boneknapper and his harem."

Astrid looked at Ruffnut and she nodded. There was a tension among the women of the tribe. Everyone was being nice to Hiccup but there was a subtle competition for his favor. There was a certain respect for the existing relationship Astrid had established but she knew everyone wanted his babies. He was the most powerful Viking ever, the women knew it and wanted that strength to spread throughout the tribe via his babies.

"There is another thing," began Astrid. "When we found Hiccup in the Highlands we followed a great pillar of smoke and found the castle he was staying at. I keep expecting him to say something about it but he hasn't. Stoic hasn't either and I don't know why."

"Say what about what?" asked Fishlegs.

Astrid sat down and wrapped her arms around her abdomen and began rocking back and forth. "That column of smoke was coming from the carcass of another Death."

Ruffnut moaned and clutched herself.

Fishlegs lost his balance and fell over.

Snotlout's jaw hit the floor and stayed there.

Tuffnut looked like he was hit by whale.

"He killed another Death?" Fishlegs whispered as he sat up.

Astrid nodded, "And he didn't get hurt this time. He's told us about that scratch on his arm when they shot him down. I know Hiccup well enough that if someone else did it or helped him he would tell us all about what they did."

The circle of friends nodded at that. They heard their own stories when Hiccup was asked to tell about his story.

"He did it all alone. I know it."

Astrid stood and turned to look over the dark ocean.

"Even if I won him as my husband against all the other women of the tribe. Even if he chained me as his slave bride. I know I wouldn't be worthy to be his pet and he would care for me anyway. He deserves and needs someone better then all of us. He needs someone who knows how to love deeper then any of us." Astrid turned away and strode into the night, as Stormfly flew to her favorite perch.

Everyone looked to Ruffnut, she just sighed and nodded.

"What is she talking about?" Asked Tuffnut.

"You idiot, even you must see it. Every time Hiccup walks through the village or sits in the Great Hall all the women show up in their best clothes or with plates of food or both. We are all subtly throwing ourselves at him, but he doesn't even notice. Astrid and I keep some of them back by sitting next to him in the Great Hall."

"You call what you do on the arm of his chair sitting!?" spouted Snotlout more then a little jealous of his little cousin. His face was getting hot just remembering some of what the girls did. He converted the shame he was feeling into aggression at the most convenient target.

Ruffnut stood and towered over the sitting Snotlout. "Yes, I do. I want his babies so bad it is all I can do to keep myself from ripping our clothes off in front of everyone and going for it."

She rounded on her twin. "You think I go swimming every night for a bath? Half the women of the tribe are in there with me. The other half are banging their husbands half the night for the same reason. Desperately trying to cool off enough so we can sleep. A few nights ago a bunch of us were walking back and Hiccup walked by and said 'Hi', we turned around and walked back down to the harbor and jumped back in."

"Even Gothi?" snarked Tuffnut.

"She beats me to the ocean every time. Now, if you'd excuse me, my ovaries just went off like a volcano from what we just learned. I need to cool off." said Ruffnut as she turned and ran off unlacing her shirt.

Tuffnut looked at the others, Snotlout looked like a codfish, and Fishlegs was completely failing at looking inconspicuous, wanting to be anywhere but where he was.

"Girls are crazy." There were nods all around.

# # #

Ruffnut sat on the dock at the harbor. Putting her double horned helmet down next to her.

"Hey, Ruffnut. You're late. Had a hard time pealing yourself off Hiccup's chair?" called Ingrid the Midwife from the water, next to Gothi. The others laughed.

"Ha. Ha." replied Ruffnut, pulling off her boots. "I'm just trying to keep him safe from you barracudas."

"We're not barracudas, we're mermaids." Helga the Weaver called back, flipping and splashing Ruffnut.

"Thanks a lot." Ruffnut spat back. Wiping water off herself.

"Sorry." Helga said contritely. "It's a warm night so it should dry quickly."

"Not like they weren't wet already." grumbled Ruffnut as she stripped off her pants.

The two dozen women chuckled wickedly. They were all without husbands. All were widows who had lost their husbands to the sea or a dragon. They called themselves the Viking Widows League. With all the casualties the tribe had suffered it was more of a safe place as they mourned their husbands. And they also matched each other up with widowers.

"Where's Astrid?" Ingrid asked looking around. Ruffnut and Astrid often came to be with the VWL, they acted like extra mothers to the girls, replacement mothers in Ruffnut's case.

"You know. She went into the forest with her ax."

"She didn't need to go to the forest to polish her ax." Helga smirked and the others giggled.

Ruffnut frowned, dropped her shirt and cannonballed into the water, splashing everyone. The cold water enveloped her hot body, she came up gasping.

"You know she's not like that," said Ruffnut pointedly.

Helga sighed, "No, she really does chop up those trees, even at night. It's her way of burning the energy off."

Ingrid swam over and began undoing Ruffnuts braids.

"Thanks." Ruffnut said. She had to tread water to keep her head above water. She could eat like a dragon but it just didn't add anything to her bones, she couldn't float like the others. They were all full grown and fully figured. She was a toothpick with braids, which was the only way to tell her apart from her brother. She kept praying to Freya to have puberty show up. Ruffnut envied them rather a lot of their beauty, though right now the ability to float would be nice.

"So how did Hiccup's diplomatic mission go?" Ingrid asked extra casually.

"Pretty bad. He was talking about the princess and he started waxing poetic."

There were many small cries of despair from the women as they crowded around her.

"Ladies, ladies! Don't panic! He hasn't made any decision yet and there is still time for him and us." called Ingrid pulling on the braid she was combing out for Ruffnut.

"Hey, easy on the hair. That's true. He may still go with Astrid or one of you, if you catch his eye." said Ruffnut.

"He could still choose you, too." said Ingrid pointedly.

The ladies laughed as Ruffnut blushed, though the cold water made it fade quickly.

Ruffnut clung to a pylon of the dock as Ingrid washed her hair for her.

"So what is it with all of you? None of you used to care about Hiccup but now all of you want to marry him. Astrid's claimed him."

"Well, yeah. He's got the most status out of everyone, by a whole lot. He is the most desirable Viking ever, way more then his father. He deserves the best wife we can get for him." said Helga.

Gothi wrote a word with a wet finger on the pylon.

"Yeah, we didn't respect him for a long time. We're making up for that now. We treat him as just one of the gang." said Ruffnut.

Ingrid cut in, "I'm sure he appreciates that but that isn't all he deserves, but you and Astrid weren't showing him proper respect, even with all you do in the Great Hall. He will be the next chief and deserves that respect and more, even now. The men defer to him already."

"We do too. We went on that cockamamy search for the Boneknapper on his word," said Ruffnut quietly. "The stupid thing is _he_ doesn't get it. He just wants to be ordinary. He flies off with Toothless so he can get some time alone. He's hiding from the tribe, because we are giving him too much attention."

The women all looked at each other, a few had their hands to their mouths.

"But we just want to show him we love him." Helga said.

"I know, but he's not like your typical Viking. I've seen him try with all his might to be a normal Viking but that isn't him and we shouldn't ask him to be anything other then himself."

Gothi, Ingrid and Helga looked at each other. Gothi made a sign.

Ingrid said, "No, we shouldn't. He is most powerful when he is himself. We all are."

The women bobbed quietly in the water as gentle waves lapped at the shore.

Ruffnut spoke quietly to Helga, "Astrid is worried about that Scottish princess. She isn't sure anymore if she is good enough for Hiccup."

The women looked worriedly at each other. Astrid was one of the great Viking women, and she wasn't even fully grown yet.

"She shouldn't worry so much. She and Hiccup did some special things together. For all we try to entice Hiccup, she has a long head start on us." said Helga.

"Still, it might be a good idea for him to married that princess and bring her here to live, we need her." said Ingrid.

"What!?" asked Ruffnut, confused.

"Ruffnut, I know you are bad at math but even you must have noticed there are more boys your age then girls."

"Well, yeah, so?"

"Here, let's get out of the water, we've cooled down enough and you lips are turning blue." said Ingrid.

The VWL and Ruffnut climbed out of the harbor, rinsed themselves at the cistern and started dressing.

"Our time of mourning is coming to a close," Ingrid sighed. That was true, it was only a few weeks until the anniversary of the defeat of the Death and the end of the dragon war. So many of the tribe had died that day, the Death had stepped on an entire squad of women. "We need to choose husbands and get back to making babies, but there are more of them then there are of us. Berk needs women, Ruffnut, so we can have enough babies. Some fresh blood would be good too. It's been a long time since we had someone from outside Berk marry into the tribe. Too many of our babes are weak because we don't get outsiders here enough." Ingrid said, and she should know, since she was one of the midwives. They started the march back up to the village. The women all combing out their hair as they walked to allow it to dry, they would braid it as they went to bed.

"Do you know why?"

"No. All we know for sure is that every few generations we need to bring in fresh women to stay strong. The last time was your grandparents generation, Stoic and Gobber's mothers were slave brides from the Highlands. We may need to do that again, though the last time they were bought from slavers."

Ruffnut tried thinking about that, but it was slow going, she was tired and cold.

"Okay, but what about Hic-?" asked Ruffnut.

"Shh!" Ingrid shushed Ruffnut sharply. "You know the rule. No mentioning 'him' after the bath, we need to sleep and don't want to make another trip to the harbor." said Ingrid as they reached the village level near the smithy.

"Hello ladies," said Hiccup as he closed the smithy door for the night, after finishing a vicious little tavern puzzle. "Your hair looks different like that. Well, goodnight." He waved and he walked up to his home.

The surprised women stood there for a moment in shock as their ovaries blew out. Then as one they turned and trooped back down to the harbor to try cooling off again.

# # #

"Dad, can we go fishing?" Hiccup asked. Stoic could see his son was carrying a couple of fishing poles.

"Sure." said Stoic, glad for the excuse to get away for a few hours. The tribe brought him all their problems, he tried his best to solve them all but it was such constant work.

Brandishing their fishing poles the other Vikings left the two men alone.

Once they were deep in the forest, they sat on the edge of a stream and lay some casts into the rushing waters.

"So what is it you want to talk about?" Stoic asked. They had been getting closer lately, talking more. It was better compared to the relationship they had before, when they had merely lived in the same house, but they were still working out so many things.

"Mom."

Stoic felt a chill run down his body, then he sighed. "I should have known this was coming at some point. Okay, what do you want to know?"

Hiccup shook his head. "I saw her die."

"What?"

"I was in the cabbage crates. Mom stuffed me in there. You picked up Mom and took her to the Great Hall. Ingrid found me after the battle."

"I remember Ingrid bringing you to me there."

"Yes."

"I'm sorry." said Stoic putting a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I told Queen Elinor."

"Okay. Why?" Stoic asked slowly. The Scots were not friends, though Hiccup seemed to be changing that.

"She made me feel safe like Mom did."

"Um, good."

"Why didn't you get married again?"

Stoic sighed. "I don't know. I loved Val so very much. It hurt so much to lose her and the baby. I don't want to feel that again."

"Baby?"

"Oh, you never knew, she was pregnant. She had just figured it out and told me that night. We were going to tell you, but the dragon raid..." Stoic trailed off, looking into the the rushing water and fiddling with his pole.

"Oh. I understand, that explains some things."

"What things?"

"Us."

"Yeah, I guess it does. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I get it now."

"So now what?" asked Stoic, wondering if this fishing trip was over.

Hiccup smiled, "We catch some fish, or would you rather search for trolls and their sock horde?"

Stoic blinked then smiled and laughed.

# # #

Gobber and the teens were sitting around the bonfire on the observation deck, like they did during dragon training, warming their food. Gobber would call them together, to tell stories and share advice. He cared about all the teens and added a certain kind of outside advice to what the teens would get at home. He acted as the grandparent or uncle none of the teens had. He meant well but they all took his advice with a grain, or rather, several large cups of salt. It wasn't that his advice was bad, it just needed lots of thinking about, before you could consider using it.

Tonight was different though, Gobber was quiet. Everyone was.

Finally, Astrid asked, "Gobber, what's going to happen tomorrow?"

Gobber sighed, "We are going to finish mourning the dead from the Battle of the Nest."

"Yes, but what comes after that...to us?"

"Yeah, I was wondering if ye would be asking about that." Gobber looked around the circle of teens and they were all looking at him. Fishlegs was extra jittery.

Gobber turned to Ruffnut and Tuffnut. "Having your mother's entire squad squashed was a terrible blow. The tribe needs to get back to making babies. We lost a lot of people and there are not a lot of children to replace them." Gobber said, and everyone nodded.

"And since more women were killed Stoic is going to go against tradition and have the women choose their mates directly." Gobber shifted on his bench. Stoic, Spitelout, Gothi, Ingrid and himself had discussed this a few weeks ago, because the conditions were unprecedented. The tribe wasn't in danger currently, but the effects of so many unmarried men could have long-term consequences. The teens needed people to marry too. Gobber knew that Stoic was uncomfortable with the thought of raiding for women. Their own mothers had been slave-wives. It was necessary but it wasn't right, they knew that. It was a wonder their mothers had survived the dragons long enough to have children. They had never gotten used to the dragon raids and had been eaten.

"What about us? There aren't enough girls." Ruffnut said quietly.

Gobber looked from Ruffnut to Astrid, he could tell they were worried, but not many others could.

"No, there aren't. That's one of the things I wanted to talk about tonight. Astrid, Ruffnut, do you want to choose husbands tomorrow?"

Astrid and Ruffnut exchanged a look and then looked at Hiccup who shrunk down under those intent gazes.

"You _do_ know that many men want you?" Gobber asked pointedly.

The girls nodded.

"Now, you boys have the same question to answer. Do you want to be chosen for marriage tomorrow?"

Hiccup, Tuffnut, Snotlout and Fishlegs just looked at Gobber, who could see how pale they were. "You, all of you," he included the girls, "are some of the highest status Vikings we have ever had. You are all incredibly valuable to the tribe. You boys, the women all want you too. They want to have your babies. Yes, even you Fishlegs." Fishlegs was spinning the fish on his stick so quickly it was almost a blur.

"When we started dragon training, I knew this group would be different." He looked directly at Hiccup, and everyone glanced at him. "But I never expected to end up teaching legends. I am proud to know each and everyone one of ye." Gobber stood, his eyes were bright in the firelight.

"You are all just barely of marriageable age. If you wish, we could exclude you, you are quite young to be getting married and starting families. I don't need an answer right now, but tell Stoic by tomorrow morning."

The teens all nodded, somberly.

Gobber nodded and walked away to give them time to think and talk if they must.

# # #

The sky above Berk was a spectacular red-orange as the sun set. Bright lines of light covered the sky. The whole island felt like a scared space.

Stoic dropped the torch into the wood to light the huge bonfire. The entire tribe was around them and they quieted as the flames built and leapt into the evening sky. Hiccup could see everyone dressed in their best furs.

"We lost a lot of people this day a year ago. " Stoic began. "Family. Friends. Husbands. Wives. Children. They died in battle like true Vikings. They would be welcomed by Odin into Valhalla or Freya into Folkvangr to prepare for Ragnarök. We saw a preview of what Ragnarök will be like. Now we mourn them one last time. We will not forget them. We can't." Stoic sounded so broken on those last words as he dropped his head, a single tear dripped into Stoic's beard and he sat on the grass.

A great wail went up as the tribe wept. Women pulled their hair, men beat their chests, dragons keened, and for a time it was safe to cry. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were holding onto each other weeping over their mother. Hiccup felt sad of all those who had died and he still missed Mom, but there were no tears inside him, he was still different from all the others and he wondered why.

After a long time the wailing and tears faded.

Stoic stood again. "It is time to continue our lives. We must marry and produce children to rebuild the tribes. We also know that there are not enough women to go around. So we are going to run counter to tradition. We will let the women choose. Then we will figure out what to do for those who remain. We will be going to the Althing, there perhaps, wives can be found. The teens have asked to be excluded for now as marriage prospects." Stoic had the teens stand next to him. Snotlout was biting his lip real hard from nerves looking like he was going to barf. Fishlegs was twisting his fingers together. The twins were holding hands. Hiccup and Astrid just stood together.

Stoic gestured, "Ladies."

There were a large number of longing looks at Hiccup and the other teens, but finally the VWL moved into the crowd and began choosing husbands. Sometimes the women were shy, most were direct, a couple of fist fights broke out. Stoic would wade in and brake them up, having the man choose, but the choices were often quite tense.

Stoic went back to the fire and was looking over the assemblage, then jerked in surprise as he felt someone take his hand. He noticed Ingrid beside him.

"Ah, Ingrid. What are you doing up here? Don't you have a choice to make?" He gestured to the crowd.

"I've already made my choice."

"Really, who?" asked Stoic, looking around.

Ingrid smiled gently as she ducked her blushing face and looked up through her lashes, "I choose you."

Stoic looked away. "I won't be able to love you, like I did Val."

"And I won't be able to love you like I did Defiant, but it would be... nice to feel some strong arms around me sometimes." Ingrid looked wistful as she traced a pattern on his hand with a finger.

"It would be nice to have someone to wrap these strong arms around on cold nights." Stoic said gently, looking at her.

"Hey, since when was he an option?" yelled Helga over the shoulder of the man she was hugging.

"Well, he's not a teen and not married, so he was always an option, even if he didn't believe it. I just noticed that no one else had. You're not sorry are you?" called Ingrid back.

Helga pulled back, looked into her chosen's eyes and smiled, "No, not sorry at all." And they embraced again.

Stoic was smiling over the crowd. Gobber led the other widowers off to the Great Hall to drink themselves into insensibility. The intact families cheered and dragons warbled. He looked at Ingrid and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Ingrid asked.

"I wasn't expecting this." Stoic turned to Hiccup. "You're going to have to marry us."

"Wha-ah. Me? Marry you?" Hiccup's gast was extremely flabbered.

"You're the son of the chief, you have the authority to marry people in my place. I certainly can't marry us myself."

"Ah-ha. Wha-what...do I do?" Hiccup felt so out of his depth that jumping off Toothless' back at maximum altitude seemed like walking through a meadow.

"Here, I have notes for just this occasion." Stoic handed Hiccup a scrap of paper.

Hiccup took the paper but just stood there as his Dad and new mother stood up straight in front of him.

"Just read it." Stoic prompted.

"'Say something nice about the couple,'" read Hiccup out loud.

A titter ran through the assemblage, and Hiccup blushed so hard he though his hair would burst into flame.

"Ah, you look nice, Dad, and um, Ingrid," which was true they were dressed in their best furs.

Hiccup looked around, everyone had gentle smiles for him, they were not making fun of him, but it still felt intensely embarrassing, his heart was beating so hard. Taking on the Red Death had been almost relaxing in comparison to this.

Hiccup read through the rest of the ceremony, they exchanged swords and rings, and finished, "I declare you husband and wife. Be happy and may Frigga bless this union. You may kiss the bride."

"Thanks son." Stoic said gently then his kissed his bride thoroughly. There were many cheers and aw's from the tribe.

Ingrid pulled Hiccup into a hug. "Thank you Hiccup. I'll bring something good for dinner, okay?"

"Ah, sure." said Hiccup uncertainly.

"I'll take it from here," said Stoic, retrieving his notes. "Who's next?"

Helga waved her hand, so she and the twin's father came up and were married.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut ran over and hugged their new mother.

Hiccup found Astrid's hand in his. "Are you okay?" she asked. Hiccup was looking, not sad exactly but not anything really.

"I don't know."

"Me neither, can we go somewhere else?"

"Sure," said Hiccup as Astrid quietly lead them away as Stoic married another couple.

Once they were clear of the village Astrid asked, "So, new mom. That good, right?"

"Yeah."

"She'll never even try to replace your real mom, I know that. She's a good person."

"Yeah."

They stopped in her fighting ring in the forest and sat against the boulder. Hiccup knew the trees were heavily scared, but he could not see it in the darkness.

"Please, Hiccup, what's wrong?"

Hiccup looked at her for a long time, took her hand and then touched his chest, "I don't feel anything."

"Well, I know I can't feel like you do because I still have both of my parents but I bet its complicated."

Hiccup shook his head. "No. It's not complicated. Building a machine is complicated, but this... I don't know how anyone feels. I am not feeling anything. Not sad, not happy, not even scared anymore; just...nothing. Shouldn't I feel something? Happiness for my Dad because he has someone. Betrayal because she is taking Mom's place. All I could feel was terror for having to do that with no notice. When my heart stopped pounded, I was empty again. I couldn't even cry to mourn Mom. I wish I was normal." Hiccup closed his eyes and dropped his head against the rock.

Astrid didn't know what to say. "It's going to be okay."

"I hope so. I have no idea were everything is going or what I should do. I just want to help. Thank you for being here. You're a good friend. I'm hoping it helps. I don't know. How can you stand to be around me?"

"It's pretty easy. I'm your friend. I wasn't for a long time. You deserved better."

"Thanks."

"Sure, no problem." said Astrid as she snuggled up next to Hiccup, "You want to stay at my place, I think it might be ...noisy at yours tonight."

"That would be nice; better then the smithy. Thank you." said Hiccup looking at her, as he put his arm around her, and put his head back again, drinking in the quiet of the forest.


	13. The Althing

~ Raided: A Mericcup Story: Chapter 13: The Althing

"So how will the Althing help with the woman problem and the raiding of Scotland?" asked Hiccup.

"Well, son. At the very least we would be able to buy slave wives for the men." said Stoic.

"Dad, that's not a good solution and doesn't help with the Scots."

"No, but it is an option and is a simple answer to the most pressing problem." Stoic held up a hand to keep Hiccup from butting in. "But there should be unattached women from other tribes available that might consider marrying into the tribe."

"Okay, but what about protecting the Scots?"

"I am not exactly sure. I don't really have a good understanding of the law and other nations. That's why I want to talk to the lawspeaker and introduce you to him as well."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. I don't exactly have a plan yet. There are too many things I just don't know about this situation, but we do know you have an incredible amount of status. I am hoping we can leverage that into doing something for the Scots. We are becoming quite rich now that we have the dragons on our side, just with the resources we have here. We can leverage our wealth and status to influence the laws, we should be able to protect the Scots that way. Especially if you marry that Scottish princess of yours. Son, you are going to have to tell everyone about the Green Death. I sent Astrid to go get evidence of it. We'll leave for the Althing as soon as she is back."

"Oh, okay." Hiccup was looking a little wild around the eyes. He was glad all the women were married now, expect Astrid and Ruffnut, but Ruffnut was still here.

"Don't worry, I set the twins to get evidence of the Red Death, so we better hurry up and tell everyone before they get back. We don't want them being distracted learning about your increase in status." said Stoic, standing.

"Oh boy." said Hiccup running his hand through his hair, thinking about what he was going to tell everyone about the Green Death.

"Come on. It'll be fun. It's great to brag and you don't even have to exaggerate."

# # #

Astrid wobbled on the long log she had wedged between the teeth of the Green Death, trying to dislodge a tooth. Stoic had asked her to go get some evidence of the Death Hiccup had killed in Scotland, since she was the only one who knew where it was, besides Hiccup.

It hadn't taken her long to find it even if it was still somewhat covered in snow. It was only just beginning to decompose on the sunlit side that melted during the day. She had already chopped free several of the largest scales she could reach and a little claw off a foot. She had to be careful not to overload Stormfly.

Astrid really wanted a tooth. They showed off the true size of the beast. The jaw of the Green Death had shattered when it had impacted the side of the mountain, there were a tooth that was loose but she still needed to break it free. She jumped as high as she could as she kept a hand on the jaw. She struggled to keep her balance as the whole head wobbled.

Something landed with a squish not far from her. She covered her nose and mouth as the smell of rotting meat slapped her throat. Stormfly flapped to drive the smell back a little.

"Thanks, Stormfly." Astrid said as she regained her balance on the long thin log. Then she looked at the eye more closely. Liquid was quickly oozing from it but she could see something, embedded in the lens, an arrow.

Astrid took a step closer, further out on the log. As she realized what that arrow meant, the head shifted, she slipped and fell, catching the log between her legs. She yelped, the pain between her legs was incredible, and saw stars in her vision as she wrapped herself around the log to keep from falling more.

Then, a loud crack sounded behind her as the tooth broke free of the jaw.

"Loki's codpiece," gasped Astrid, as she, the log and the tooth crashed to the ground.

Stormfly came over and gave her groaning rider a nuzzle.

# # #

Stormfly was circling over Castle DunBroch. Astrid had gotten directions from Lord MacGuffin when she went there looking for Merida. A crowd was gathering in the big open field near the castle. Astrid still wasn't exactly sure why she was here. Astrid had Stormfly land near them.

Astrid could see Merida, Fergus and Elinor come to the front of the crowd. She slipped off Stormfly and gasped a little at the pain that shot into her abdomen as her feet hit the ground. She wondered how badly she had hurt herself. She wouldn't stay, she had to get home quickly anyway, she'd rest there. She picked up her ax, it would be comforting, but it was dull from all the chopping.

Astrid marched over, looking at Merida. Merida took a step forward and stood like a queen.

"Astrid." Merida greeted her cordially but cautiously, she was armed after all.

"Merida, can we talk, privately?"

Astrid could see the princess was surprised.

"Um, of course. The castle?"

"Nah, just out there." Astrid gestured to the open field.

Fergus subtly handed Merida his sword as Elinor shooed everyone back to work as the two girls walked deep into the field. Fergus watched from the edge of the field.

"You were there when Hiccup fought the Green Death, weren't you?" Astrid said, but it wasn't really a question.

"Yes."

"What really happened?"

"What? You mean he hasn't told you?" asked Merida.

"He's said some things, but I just found out, not everything. Please, what happened?"

"Well, Toothless was feeling better. He was finally strong enough for sustained flight. Hiccup invited me to fly as we began the search of the Death. He flew us up high so I could touch the clouds."

Astrid looked away in pain, that had been her special thing with Hiccup. Jealousy and anger roared in her heart but she needed the story.

"We flew to the Isle of Sky to start looking, and he spotted a large cave, that he said was the right size. Toothless shot a fireball into the cave to see and there were lots of dragons all over it. They started flying away, and then the Death came out and began to chase us. I shot it with what arrows I had, then we ducked into the blizzard. We were trying to shoot it but the blizzard was icing us up. Then we almost flew into its mouth."

Merida paused for a breath. "We dove, we were going to lure it into following us into the ground. We were going to sacrifice ourselves to kill it."

Astrid stopped walking and looked at Merida.

Merida shrugged "It was the only thing we could do. Then will 'o the wisps appeared."

"Will 'o the wisps?"

"They are ...magical creatures, they lead you to your fate. They led us out of the dive and over that protrusion that gutted the Death and into a ravine that shielded us from the explosion."

"Magical creatures..."

Merida gave her a look, "You ride a dragon."

"Yeah." She looked back at Stormfly.

"Astrid, what's going on?" asked Merida.

"Stoic, Hiccup's dad, sent me to get proof of Hiccup taking down the Green Death." They began walking again. Merida could see the large tooth strapped across the back of Stormfly.

"Okay, but why are you here, we are a little out of the way?"

"You hit it."

"I hit what?"

"The Green Death. You got it right in the eye with an arrow."

"You came all this way to tell me that?"

The two girls walked several more steps.

"What does he see in you?" asked Astrid.

"I hope a friend, but then I am also princess." Merida shrugged.

Astrid rolled her eyes, and she looked back at the king who was there at the edge of the field, she could see his crown sparkle in the sunlight.

"Do you love him?" asked Astrid quietly.

"What?"

"Do you love Hiccup?"

Merida sighed. "Ach, I don't know. I do like him, I know that, but love." She shrugged. "I thought he loved you."

"I don't know if he does. He's never said it to me, I was wondering if he had to you." Astrid said, but Merida only shook her head.

"All I know is that he was hurt and needed help." Merida said.

"He said you shot him out of the sky on a dark night."

"That too, but he was hurt much worse then that. Your tribe wasn't kind to him."

"No, we weren't." Astrid looked down.

"He spoke well of you." Merida said kindly.

"Really? I don't really deserve it. I ignored him most of the time. I beat him up because he was winning dragon training."

"It showed him you cared."

"Yeah."

"Astrid, what is he trying to do about the raids?"

"I'm not sure. I know he talked to his dad about not going on a raid, but I don't know of any alternative to deal with our baby problem. From what I know, some tribes raid for fun and profit." Astrid licked her lips, "If I were you, you should assume that to stop the raids you'll have to marry some influential Viking, but I have no idea who that would be. Stoic sent me to get evidence of him killing the Green Death to take to the Althing..." Astrid trailed off. She paused and turned away from the princess, spinning her ax in her hand, thinking hard.

"What?" asked Merida.

"Son of a half troll, rat eating, munge bucket!" Astrid began swinging her ax wildly.

"What?" Asked Merida with more concern, she had her sword out, ready to defend herself.

Astrid was bouncing with concern for Hiccup. "He's done stupid and crazy, now he's going to try insane. I gotta go. He needs what I have, if he wants to prove himself."

"What?"

"Sorry. I have to go. I can't be late with this. He'll need those things more than anything." Astrid ran back to Stormfly and took off.

# # #

"We're here." said Stoic as the longboat crunched into the soft gravel of the beach.

Stoic and Hiccup leapt over the side onto the beach, and stood waiting as another Viking approached them.

"Stoic, is that you?"

"Aye, Longbeard. It's been a while. How have you been?"

"Fine, fine. Every year you miss the Althing we wonder if you'd been eaten by those dragons of yours."

"Nope not yet. But we have some news this year that I want to bring up to the lawspeaker."

"Oh really, What?"

Stoic gave him a look, but merely said, "This is my son, I need to introduce him and my new wife Ingrid around, and brought some iron for trading, among other things."

Longbeard smiled, he liked getting the news first, but understood when people wanted to hold tight to it. "Alright, have it your way. You can setup over there," The man with the beard that reached past his waist pointed. "Things will get going in a day or two."

"Excellent. Thank you." said Stoic.

# # #

Lifa was tired of all the same old people that came to their bread stall at the Althing. This was supposed to be a way for her to meet men, but mostly they only saw louts that were no fun to play with.

Lifa was helping her parents as usual. Papa was stoking the second oven as Mum was plucking loaves from the first oven.

She could see the Kobb field just across from the bakery, most of the men would go to brewer next door. She handed her customer his loaves and took the pennies in return and placed then in her apron.

Her ears perked up when she heard a voice say, "That bread smells wonderful after all that time on the longboat." Lifa looked around, coming onto the end of the line was a very large man with a fur tunic and small helmet, he was acting like a boy so excited for the fresh bread. His face so was young and innocent looking. She wondered if he was the enforcer of the group, he didn't have the look of the leader, but had the strength.

Several others were with him, a muscular boy with curly rams horns on his helmet made her hips soften. He must be the one in charge, he looked so surly but masterful. There were also two couples in the group, but she soon realized that one was a set of twins as they turned, there was no romance between them, just a sibling rivalry. The boy was cute, but to coarse for her liking.

The other couple was a couple. She could tell there was some romance there, even if they weren't holding hands. The boy didn't seem like much, though he had an odd metal leg. Lifa wondered if he had done something heroic to save the girl, because the girl seemed too strong for the boy with her spiky armor, but quite close to him for some reason.

Then something happened she didn't expect. "Hey, Snotlout, get some for all of us." said the kid with the metal leg.

"Aw, you want me to pay for all of us, now?" complained the one called Snotlout, Lifa thought that was a hideous name.

"Oh here you go," said the armored girl as she tossed five coins to Snotlout and then turned to watch the game of Kobb being played out.

Things were suddenly shuffling themselves in Lifa's head. She knew how these gangs of kids worked, but somehow that skinny kid with the missing leg was large and in charge of this group and the armored girl was the lieutenant, not the obvious leader. How odd.

Soon Snotlout and the big teen, who was bouncing with excitement, were next. "How much?" Snotlout asked.

"Five small loaves to the penny."

Snotlout laid down the five coins. Lifa was surprised, most underlings would pocket a coin or two if they knew their boss didn't know how much the bread cost.

"And five for me too." said the big one laying down an extra penny.

"Relax Fishlegs, there'll be plenty."

_"What kind of name was Fishlegs? That was a silly name."_ Lifa thought to herself as she gathered the 30 small loaves.

"Thanks, babe." said Snotlout with an easy smile. The two teens then moved off with filled arms. They all moved with an easy confidence only the most grizzled of warriors seemed to, but without the haunted look many warriors had.

Lifa kept an eye on the group since they were close to the stall. She kept finding herself playing with her hair whenever someone the small group looked toward her, though he didn't seem to notice her.

Several Valhunds seemed to really like the skinny leader too, as they congregated around his legs and yipped for pats.

The one named Snotlout did notice her and that was good enough. She chatted with him when he came back for more with Fishlegs. She was going to have to find out more about the Hairy Hooligans. They were actually nice to her, which was quite refreshing.

Everyone cheered as the king was knocked over and then laughed as the victors of the Kobb game emptied their horns and fell over drunk.

# # #

# # #

Hiccup was looking at the the lines of people coming before the lawspeaker. Dad had said some new tribes were being recognized.

The Bear Slayers had just been recognized. Now the lawspeaker was inspecting another group. This one bothered Hiccup. They were standing in precise ranks, men and women in pairs. The men were reasonably well dressed with leather, fabric and fur, but the women were all dressed in rags, some barely dressed at all really, and it was hard to tear his eyes away. But it was obvious why they were dressed in rags, they were slaves, each man had a leash going to the collar of the woman next to him.

"Are those slave-wives?"

"Yes, but more like breeding stock." Stoic rumbled in disapproval.

Hiccup noticed a pattern in how they were lined up. At the front were women with babies in their arms (boys then girls), then pregnant women—Hiccup was wondering how they had handled the arduous journey here—then women neither pregnant or with children, they were the smallest group.

The lawspeaker was moving slowly through the ranks talking to the men and women and examining the children and running his hand over the bellies of the pregnant women.

"Who is that guy?" asked Hiccup.

"That is the lawspeaker. He is inspecting the tribe to see if they meet the requirements for forming a tribe. From here it looks like they do, but barely."

However Hiccup was close enough to see that the lawspeaker had an unpleasant and slightly desperate look on his face. He was looking carefully at each women and child seeming to look for something wrong with them. The women all looked tiny compared to the women from Berk. Many of them seemed thinner then Astrid and Ruffnut, though they looked healthy enough.

"Very well, you have met the requirements!" called the lawspeaker resignedly. "Vikings welcome the newest tribe! The Skivvy Scroungers! Raise your banner!"

Hiccup gasped as the banner was raised, it was a truncated triangle with a hooked knife. As cheers were raised for the tribe, Hiccup was wondering what to do. He had found the raiders who had gone to Scotland.

# # #

The tribe before them was wrapping up their introductions and grievances before the lawspeaker. Stoic and the tribe were up next before the lawspeaker. The lawspeaker and some chiefs were sitting on a high spot in the bowl of the thingstead.

Stoic turned and signaled to Gobber. Hiccup saw Gobber throw some chemicals into their fire way over at their campsite, which raised a greenish blue smoke. The men with them carried the large box they had shipped in forward with them.

"The Althing recognizes Stoic the Vast." called the lawspeaker lifting his stick of office. "It's good to see you again." the lawspeaker said as Stoic came close to shake arms. He paused for a moment looking into Stoic's face. "You've seen some heavy things, Stoic."

"Thank you. It is good to see you again too. Yes, I have seen heavy things, I have seen something of what Ragnarök will look like."

"Really?" the lawspeaker's eyebrows rose high on his forehead.

Stoic just nodded.

"I would like to introduce my son, if I may?"

"Of course."

"This is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, my son! He is the mightiest Viking on life!" introduced Stoic, speaking to the crowd. There was a buzz of whispers at that. Hiccup felt uncomfortable as so many people looked and pointed at him. Valhunds were running excitedly through the crowd.

Stoic went to the large box and withdrew something bigger then he was.

"What's so special about a whale bone?" BigEars called from the sidelines.

Stoic ignored him and dropped it in front of the lawspeaker.

"Is that a...tooth?" the lawspeaker asked rising to examine it.

"Aye, it is." Stoic reached into the box and returned with a claw.

"A...claw? What kind of dragons do you fight on Berk, Nidhug himself!?"

"Hardly. I led my tribe to its destruction at the fangs of the Red Death. My son saved us." Stoic threw down a red scale that were nearly as large as a shield.

"He also saved the Scots from the Green Death." He threw down a green scale next to the red one.

"The Scots? Why did he help them?"

"Because it was the right thing to do. They shot him and his dragon out of the sky, then nursed him back to health. They were under attack by dragons and he helped them defend themselves. He didn't have to do that. Then with the help of the Scottish Princess they fought the Green Death and won."

Hiccup was trying to stand there quietly though he was blushing pretty hard. Dad had said he was going to brag about him but this was a bit much.

"But more then anything he ended the war with the dragons by discovering they can be trained."

"Trained?" the lawspeaker asked, and that word was whispered throughout the crowd as a tidal wave.

Hiccup could see shadows on the ground. He looked up but the Sun was too dazzling, but he thought he could see something up there.

"Trained." Stoic stated, "To not hunt and kill but to work together with humans."

"How..." but the lawspeaker never did finish that particular sentence.

Blasts of Gronkle lava exploded on the ridge above the thingstead. Deadly Nadders swooped low over the crowd and laid fire down around the people. Monstrous Nightmares made streaks of fire along the beach. The Boneknapper roared and whipped the ocean into a froth.

"Enough! Stop it and settle down!" Hiccup shouted and the dragons with their riders perched on the ridge.

The crowd and the lawspeaker looked at the dragons and back to Hiccup with awe in their eyes. The Valhunds were going crazy.

After a long moment the lawspeaker gathered himself and went back to his seat. He understood what was happening. The show of force was extremely effective. He picked up his staff and waited patiently, he could show power as well, but it became obvious that Hiccup was quite content to stand there waiting as well.

Finally the lawspeaker asked, "What is it that you want?"

"I'd like the raids against Scotland to end." Hiccup said simply.

Whispers ran through the crowd.

"That's all?"

"Yes."

"I don't have the power to do that."

"Oh." said Hiccup disappointed. "Who does?"

"At the moment, no one does," said the lawspeaker carefully, but he was watching Hiccup carefully.

"How do I find someone with that power?"

"You/ cannot, only all of us can," he gestured to the assembled chiefs.

Hiccup shook his head. "I just want to protect my tribe and my friends in Scotland. For three hundred years there has been war with the dragons and I found a way to befriend them and end the war. I just want to stop the wars and the raids so no one has to be afraid of being kidnapped or killed. I don't want any one to feel the loss of a loved one taken by raiders. I want everyone's pain to end. Surely, there must be a way to accomplish that?" Hiccup asked passionately.

The chief next to the lawspeaker touched his hand and they whispered for a moment, then the one on the other side also made quiet comment.

"There is a way to do that." the lawspeaker said.

"Really, how?" asked Hiccup eagerly.

"We need a king."

"And who should be king?" asked Hiccup.

"I would be king!" shouted BigEars stepping forward. "With the strength of the Vikings and the power of these dragons, Vikings would rule the world!"

The lawspeaker shot BigEars a sidelong glance, then looking back to Hiccup asked, "What do you think, should BigEars be king?"

Hiccup kept his eyes on BigEars, he was close enough and dangerous enough to warrant close watching. Then Stoic stood between them.

"No, he should not."

"Why?"

"He would bring war to the world."

"So? War is good for Vikings, so that we may fill Valhalla."

"We should have peace and friendship."

"And who would even try to bring peace?" asked the lawspeaker.

Hiccup thought for a while. "I would."

"You? You would be king?"

Hiccup stood straight and tall, "Yes. I would be king."

"You?" sneered BigEars. "A runt like you, wants to be king?"

Stoic turned, flexing his hands, but Hiccup said, "No, I don't _want_ to be king, but I would rather be a king trying to bring peace then let you bring war, fire and death. And I will _not_ let you use dragons to do that." All the dragons put their heads down, few people noticed listening to the argument, but the lawspeaker saw.

"Not let me. I don't see how a weak runt like you could stop me. I am a Viking, I am strong, the strong must rule."

"What is it with you guys? You think how hard you can punch or how big a rock you can lift is strength. All you do is go around destroying things. You never _make_ anything!"

"I would make an empire that would last a thousand years!"

"You don't know how!"

The lawspeaker banged his staff. "Hiccup, would you be king?"

"Yes."

"BigEars, do you challenge that?"

"Yes."

"Hiccup, do you accept the challenge?"

"If I do?"

"Then there is a holmgang, trial by combat."

"And if I don't?"

"BigEars becomes king."

Hiccup felt his dad's hand on his shoulder.

"I accept the challenge."

# # #

Merida was wandering the castle, looking for the boys. They had gotten away from Maudie again. She had just left the kitchens and was trying to think of the next most likely place for them to be.

She was coming up to a passage when she heard a sound she hadn't heard for a while and saw a pale light ahead. She peaked around the corner, a will 'o the wisp was floating in the middle of the corridor.

Merida could feel her senses enhance, as the adrenaline rushed into her blood. Things always seemed to get exciting when these magical creatures appeared. She came around the corner and the wisp beckoned her to follow, which she did after grabbing a torch. They led her into the depths of the castle and to the dungeons, which were empty at the moment. Fergus was a merciful king, he didn't keep people in the dungeon for long.

The lines of wisps went into the large room that was central to all the cells. The last wisp was over the table in the middle of the room. As the last wisp disappeared Merida looked around but no other wisps appeared. She looked at the table and saw it was covered with chains and shackles. Merida licked her lip and looked around again, because she had no idea what it meant.


	14. The Challenge

~ Raided: Chapter 14: The Challenge

* * *

The tribe kept an eye on the Skivvy Scroungers while dragons stayed close to Hiccup as he trained with his father. Everyone could see a few of BigEars' men loitering near Stoic's campsite. Stoic had some men keep watch.

The Althing still had quite a bit of business to take care of, and since it was traditional for a holmgang to have a cool down period between the acceptance of the challenge and the fight itself, it would be several days before the fight. That allowed the ship bringing Toothless to arrive.

Fishlegs dumped an armload of bread onto the table. Gobber and the teens dug in, as they sat in Stoic's tent after another day of watching and training.

"Hiccup, you had to go mess up a good thing." complained Snotlout as they met around a table in Stoic's tent.

"What do you mean?" asked Hiccup.

"I had all those girls swarming me." said Snotlout.

"Hey, it's not that bad." said Fishlegs.

"Not for you. You still have the breadgirl favoring you," countered Tuffnut.

"Her name is Lifa." said Fishlegs with quiet dignity.

"Now with that challenge of yours out there, no one will come near us, they are all figuring you're going to lose and no one wants to be on BigEars' bad side by throwing their lot in with us." said Snotlout as Stoic entered the tent.

"Great, all alone again." grumbled Hiccup.

"Actually no." said Tuffnut, "There are a few that are still interested."

"Indeed." said Stoic. "There are tribes openly on your side, including the Bear Slayers. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, it isn't, but it is way better then being alone. They are also real friends, the kind that stick with you in the bad times."

"Yeah, those are good." nodded Hiccup, relieved that there were some people that could be trusted a little. "Why would the Bear Slayers do that?"

"Because they took a long look at him and thought that you would be a better king, not because of the dragons, like some tribes are, but why you choose to become king. When you win, you already know who is really on your side." said Stoic.

"Thanks dad." said Hiccup, warmed by the faith his father had in him. "How did it go?"

Stoic sighed. "We've finally agreed on the rules for the holmgang. BigEars wanted some rules that favored him, I countered with rules that favored you. The lawspeaker balanced things out. It'll be a fair fight." Stoic handed the papers to Hiccup.

"So what are the rules?" asked Astrid.

"As the challenger, BigEars'll recite the rules before we begin. It'll be a fight to the death, for obvious reasons. There will be other holmgangs going on before ours, which won't necessarily be to the death, they are saving ours for last, though we will get a fresh oxskin from the sacrifice." Hiccup summed up the rules as he read them.

"We are going to fight on a oxskin that's three meters on a side. The bounds are marked by a series of borders and stakes. Stepping outside means a forfeit, but all that means is he gets to be king anyway. We'll be allowed axes, hammers and swords to fight with. As the challenged, I get to strike first. Yeah, that'll be intimidating." said Hiccup sarcastically.

"Hiccup, I could be your champion." said Stoic.

"No, Dad, thank you. This is my fight, it's not about the raids anymore, the dragons and the tribe are on the line now. I couldn't submit them to him if you lost, but fighting him would make the entire tribe Nithing and I don't want that to happen either."

Stoic nodded. "I didn't expect you to end up being put up for becoming king much less being challenged. You are very brave, son."

"Thanks, dad."

"Well, we learned a few things about BigEars and his tribe." said Astrid, she and Fishlegs had done some intelligence gathering.

Fishlegs started, "On the plus side, his gear isn't all that great. They only have a few swords and their iron isn't all that great. The swords they do have bend easily and the axes dull fast."

"The bad news is that he is immensely strong. He is breaking shields in one blow." said Astrid.

"I noticed that the design of their shields are not quite as good as ours. Fighting dragons for so long has made us make better shields." Fishlegs added.

"I am not going to be breaking his shield." Hiccup said. "So any ideas on how to fight him. I expect it to be over quickly."

"Hiccup, you have a lot of advantages here, you know." said Stoic.

"Yeah, right."

"You've been up against dragons outweighing you by a whole lot your entire life, this isn't really all that different. Is catching an ax on your shield all that different from a Gronkle lava ball?"

"No." said Hiccup thoughtfully.

"Frankly, if he just wants to win, he'd just charge you down and push you out of bounds. It would be simple, fast and effective."

"Yeah, that would be." said Hiccup, squinting, trying to think of a counter.

"But frankly, I don't think he'll do that." said Stoic flatly.

"What?!" Hiccup, Astrid and Fishlegs said together.

"He wants to kill you as a feat of strength. He wants to batter down your shield and split you down the middle."

"...thank you for summing that up."

"No, no, that makes total sense." said Astrid. "He kept talking about strength and boosting of the strength of his tribe. Though from what we saw of their women, he's only talking about the men."

Fishlegs sat back, the others could see he was thinking as his eyes shifted back and forth. "That means he has blindspots. He sees you as weak. You are not a physical threat to him."

"That's obvious."

"It also means you don't need physical force to win. He wants to kill you but you don't need to kill him. But everyone has a shot limit to how many blows he can strike. You just have to avoid getting hit until he can't attack any more. Just like fighting a dragon."

"Hmm, fight him like a dragon." said Hiccup thoughtfully.

# # #

Hiccup and the rest of the Hairy Hooligans approached the site of the holmgang. BigEars and his tribe were coming from their campsite as well. The dragons were sunning themselves on the heights, Hiccup had reassured Toothless this morning, but now he was feeling nervous again.

The lawspeaker and the other chiefs were along one side of the oxhide that was staked to the ground. All the Vikings were there to see the outcome that would change everyone's lives.

Hiccup, Stoic and the rest of the teens stood at the edge of the holmgang, the teens carrying the shields and weapons Hiccup would use. Big Ears and his counterparts were similarly arrayed across from them. BigEars passed the leash of his slave-wife to another Viking, the slaves all kneeled with their heads down. Hiccup frowned at that.

The Hairy Hooligans had brought all the unattached males to the Althing. There were plenty of female slaves for sale, but Hiccup had spoken to the tribe and they had agreed to find true wives and not slaves. The men had been inquiring about potential wives among the tribes but little progress was being made. Everyone was quite cautious about the possibility of marrying into the Hooligans. No one was expecting Hiccup to win and while the dragons were powerful, BigEars had a nasty reputation. Everyone was waiting to see the result of the holmgang.

Hiccup and BigEars looked to the lawspeaker. After a nod, BigEars stepped to the center of the oxhide and spoke loudly to the crowd of Vikings.

"I, BigEars of the Skivvy Scroungers, have challenged Hiccup of the Hairy Hooligans. We contend for the kingship of the Vikings. Our goods, our tribes and the future of us all ride on the outcome of this challenge. This holmgang is to the death, there can be no quarter given for this prize. To step outside the bounds or to flee in cowardice is to forfeit both kingship, life and our tribes." He pointed to the three rows of lines dug into the ground outside the oxhide, the corners marked by hazel staves.

"We have at our disposal: three shields, an ax, a sword, a hammer and a knife. The oxhide has been placed so there is no advantage of the sun to either combatant." The oxhide was oriented so the combatants were facing East and West respectively. The lawspeaker and the chiefs were on the South so they would have the best view, all others were on the North and would be looking into the sun.

"As the challenged, he has the right to strike the first blow. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, are you ready?" asked BigEars.

Hiccup took his first shield and sword from Astrid and stepped onto the oxhide. "I am."

BigEars retrieved his first shield and a long handled ax from one of his men and set himself across from Hiccup.

Hiccup asked, "Are you ready?"

"I am," came the reply.

Hiccup swung and he felt the impact all the way up to his shoulder. He quickly recovered and put his shield in front of him, ready for the return strike.

"Is that all? Was that your best shot?" laughed BigEars. "My Scottish wife hits harder then you."

"I've met the Scots. They are a strong people." said Hiccup, a part of his mind could see the heads of the slaves come up slightly.

BigEars frowned, "The Vikings are stronger!" And he brought his ax over his head like he was chopping wood.

Hiccup dodged to his left, and deflected the blow with his angled shield, much like he would a lava blast from a Gronkle. Hiccup could tell that the iron of the ax was not very good.

Hiccup threw a quick cut at BigEars' exposed arm, but the big man dodged. BigEars made another swing and embedded his ax in Hiccup's shield. Hiccup gave his shield a quick twist and the head of the ax snapped.

There was a roar from the crowd.

BigEars stared at his ax handle for a moment, then opened his arms signaling a pause, Hiccup also opened his arms and they watchfully went to their respective sides and Hiccup took his second shield from Fishlegs and BigEars took up a hammer.

Hiccup noted that the hammer was a heavily, slower weapons but if it connected it could break his arm right through his shield. Hiccup adjusted his strategy to dodging the hammer blows, and wait for an opening from BigEars to strike.

However, BigsEars wasn't throwing big strikes at him any more. He wasn't leaving himself open to Hiccup's jabs as much. So Hiccup was forced to sidestep a lot.

BigEars was bragging and banging his hammer against his shield like a Monstrous Nightmare showing off.

Hiccup just calmly waited, his heavy wood shield ready and sword in his left hand.

BigEars charged and swung, but Hiccup dodged easily, the years of dodging dragon fire made it easy. Hiccup knew he could not win a battle of brute strength but that was not required.

BigEars hurled insults and oaths but Hiccup had long ago left behind the ability to feel anything because of mere words.

It became like a dance as the two men fought for the right to rule. Constantly moving, ever dodging, waiting for his opponent to tire and make a mistake and leave an opening to exploit.

Hiccup descended further and further into the inky depths of his heart. He had fought dragons and won, he had survived the ridicule of his tribe. Yet this was a puzzle to solve like those tavern puzzles that Gobber made to stump the men as they waited out the long winters. There was a calm emptiness that enveloped Hiccup, a place he had spent many long lonely years. There was only what needed to be done to survive.

"Why don't you fight me!?" yelled BigEars.

"I am fighting you. Hadn't you noticed or are the sword and shield not obvious enough for you?" Hiccup said. It was strictly factual, the honest truth. Hiccup's ears heard the buzz of the crowd but it did not register on his consciousness. BigEars reddened like a cooked crab.

"What is it with you guys? All you do is try to control yet it is never enough for you. You always need more. Why can't you leave us alone?" Hiccup asked, he was near the corner by the lawspeaker and the Scroungers.

"The strong must be in control. The strong must rule."

"But all you end up doing causes destruction. Why do you never build?"

"I would build. I will build an empire, a strong empire, a Viking empire. Vikings are strong and the world is weak, we should rule the weak. I will have your dragons and your women." Hiccup could smell smoked eel on the big man's breath.

"You want to build an empire but all I see you do is destroy."

"Only the weak is destroyed, the strong would stand."

"I am weaker then you in some way but I am stronger then you in others." More simple facts in an emotionless tone.

Over Hiccup's shoulder BigEars saw his slave-wife, Aibhlinn, she is kneeling where he left her at the edge of the holmgang. At those words she looked up. Their eyes meet. Her chin rose.

BigEars gasped at the strength still in her. His shield lowered slightly.

"No!" BigEars roared as he charged, swinging his hammer in anger. Hiccup was too far in the corner to dodge. He barely got his shield up enough to catch the blow, he couldn't angle it and the force of the blow blasted up his shoulder.

Hiccup was driven down under the force of that blow, his shield cracked and part of it fell away. Hiccup knew that there would be no pause to swap shields this time.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted.

"Son!" Stoic called.

Toothless roared and bolted down from the ridge above the Thingstead, but he was many leaps from the holmgang.

"I always win!" roared BigEars as he brought his hammer up again.

BigEars started the downswing.

Hiccup kicked out with his artificial foot.

Hiccup connected with BigEars right knee dislocating it, but the hammer was coming down fast.

BigEars screamed in pain as he fell forward.

Hiccup rolled to his right, bringing his sword up, trying to deflect the hammer, but missed.

Hiccup's sword glanced off the edge of BigEars' shield and up into his neck. BigEars saw it coming, but with the heavy hammer and all his forward momentum he could no longer avoid it.

Hiccup's sword bit into his opponent's now open neck and the body of BigEars collapsed.

The lawspeaker looked around, many jaws were hanging open. "Hail Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, King of the Vikings!"

The slaves of the Skivvy Scroungers began to weep, because as awful as there lives were, they had no idea what would happen next.

Then everyone else began to cheer.

It was pandemonium as Hiccup slowly stood. Stoic and the lawspeaker were nearby already talking quickly, other chiefs were jockeying for position to be near them. The teens crowded around Hiccup as the tribe held off the other tribes.

Hiccup took Astrid by the arm. "Can you do something for me?"

"Sure, Hiccup anything."

"Go to Scotland and tell them I am King of the Vikings. I will have to marry Merida to make sure all this sticks. If we marry then we'll have an alliance which will stop the raids."

"Are you sure you want me to do that?"

"Yes. I trust you. You never attacked me, until I was doing so well in dragon training and you were jealous of me. I desperately wanted to date you because you were kind enough to ignore me all the time."

Astrid bit her lip, Hiccup didn't deserve to be ignored. "It would have been...nice to be together."

He took her cheek in his hand "Yes, it would have, you are good to be around, but life didn't turn out that way."

"No, it didn't. You have a bigger life then I can imagine."

"Yeah."

"Will...you be okay with her?"

"I think so, but it needs to be done, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

Astrid threw her arms around her king.

"Anything you want me to tell her?"

"Yeah, We probably can't free all the slaves immediately, but I want to free them at the wedding as a symbolic gesture. I'll have to get that organized." Hiccup looked over to the Scroungers who he now owned. The women and their babies were crying, the men were looking dazed.

"Okay, anything else?" Astrid asked.

"I'll be there soon to help arrange things."

"Right but that's not all is it?" Astrid waited, but then the lawspeaker came over and Hiccup had to turn his attention away from her. Astrid bit her lip, she would have wanted some kind of personal message from a potential husband, Merida would too.


	15. One Last Raid

Raided: Chapter 15: One Last Time

* * *

Merida tottered out of the meeting that she and her mother had had with Astrid. Mum was arranging a room for the girl and a place for her dragon.

Merida had a hand on the stone wall guiding her, because she wasn't sure how she was feeling. Hiccup had sent Astrid, the girl she thought Hiccup liked, to ask Merida to marry him. It would be a political marriage, the way to stop the raids on Scotland.

Merida stumbled down the stairs, grabbing the handrail. Her eyes didn't seem to want to focus, her ears couldn't hear. Part of her was raging, she didn't want to give up her freedom. The freedom she had fought so hard for and hurt her mum over. Another part of her liked Hiccup, and held out the hope that maybe she could love him like Mum loved Da. The princess part of her knew what had to be done for the sake of her people.

Her feet carried her out of the castle and into the woods. There was a comforting presence next to her, Kevin MacGuffin. He had been invited to come after the MacIntoshs had been dealt with. They had spent quite some time together. He was so much more confident now and she was comfortable around him. She felt safe with him nearby.

Merida sat at the base of a large twisted tree, that looked like how her heart felt just then. Kevin sat next to her. She took his hand and hugged it. "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Hiccup just asked me to marry him."

"Oh." After a while he asked, "and...?"

"He became a king. King of the Vikings, just so he could stop the raids on Scotland. He needs to marry me, the Princess of the Scots, to make an alliance."

There was a long silence.

"Why did he do/ that? How/ could he do that?" Merida raged now. "What is/ it with him?"

Merida was quiet again.

Then tears began to run down her face. "I have to. I have to marry him to protect my people. Because he loves my people enough to become a king of his own people to protect us."

"Do you think it will work?" asked Kevin.

"Oh yes. I am sure it will work, because what he does works." said Merida wiping her eyes, she twiddled her hair with her free hand trying to decide.

She looked into Kevin's eyes "Kevin. I want you to know that of the three original suitors. I liked you best. I thought you would also make the best king. You will make a great lord."

"Thank you." Kevin said as he ran his hand through her hair one last time. "You will make a great queen."

"Thank you."

"So now what?"

"I get ready for the wedding and then...I don't know. I don't have the slightest idea where I will end up living."

Merida put her head on Kevin's substantial chest and tried to come to terms with what was happening as he put his arm around her.

They sat together until the sun was went down and they had to return to the castle.

# # #

"Mum, we need to talk." said Merida.

"What's wrong?" asked Elinor. She was in the tapestry room working on the Princess and the Bear tapestry, she was putting some highlights in her daughter's hair today. She had duties but the wedding was coming up and she needed to do something calming, because she was going to lose her baby soon. Ships full of people from the clans and the Viking tribes were coming soon. Hiccup and the dragonriders would be here any time too.

Merida came over and touched the bear part of the tapestry. "I love you. You've taught me so much. All those years of princess lessons, but I don't know how to be what I know I need to be."

"I've taught you all I know and you will make a good queen."

"Yes, I think I will. You taught me well." Merida said her head bowed.

Elinor took her daughter into her arms, "And you will be a good wife. I had reservations about marrying your father. I was so worried I was being given to a brute, he is a great warrior and leader, I can see those things in Hiccup, but I believe that he will make you a good husband. Just remember to talk to him often so you don't drift apart."

Merida shook her head, "Hiccup has such a big heart, he loves so much that he became king just so he could end the raids against us."

Elinor nodded.

"I don't know if I can love like he can."

"Of course you can." Elinor said enveloping her daughter in her arms. "You used love to break the spell on me."

"Yes, I know, but I loved you, my own mother. It's loving strangers, even terrible monsters, like he can, I am not sure of."

"I'm sure you can."

"I need to know/ Mum. I need to do something that shows them and me that I am worthy of being Hiccup's queen." Merida looked at her mother intently.

"You have something in mind, don't you?"

Merida nodded, but she bit her lip. "We... better sit down."

# # #

Merida, Elinor and Maudie entered the chamber Hiccup would be guided to, to find Merida. Maudie put the basket of flower pedals on the table next to the white fabric they would be putting on Merida and Elinor put her bow and quiver by the door.

Merida's stomach had been filled with butterflies as they had dressed her in Elinor's wedding dress, now they were replaced by dragons.

"Merida, are you sure about this?" asked Queen Elinor. One last chance to do something else. She was so worried for Merida, though she knew this would mean so much to Merida.

Merida licked her lips. Looking around the room, the one that the wisps had lead her to she now remembered, she could see all the equipment she had had installed really well from where she was standing at the center. Merida swallowed, then shakily nodded.

"Maudie, if you would start with her arms." said Elinor.

"Yes, mum." said Maudie as she went to the table for the fabric. Merida put her arms together behind her and Maudie began to wrap Merida's arms with the white fabric from the table.

"I'll do your hair, dear." said Elinor as she gathered up Merida's hair. They had spent a good part of yesterday combing it out, today the curls were still soft and they almost reacher her knees. Elinor gathered it up and looped it through a bight of rope that hung from the ceiling. Then she bound it with a white ribbon back upon itself.

Merida's breathing began to quicken. She'd always been able to hide in her hair. Her flame-colored curls always caressed her head, neck and chest, but now her hair was up and she felt so vulnerable. Having all those arrows pointed at her scared her too.

Maudie and Elinor brought her legs together and wrapped more of the white fabric and rope around her and her body was forced to stillness.

"Mum. Mummy. Please. I-I can't. I can't do this. I can't. Please." Merida began to beg as she struggled, but the ropes held her upright. Tears welled up in her eyes as she needed to escape, to run away to freedom. Elinor and Maudie held her close so she wouldn't fall.

Elinor hugged her close. "Merida. It's okay." Elinor could feel her daughter shaking under her hands and tears dripping onto her neck from her daughters face.

"Mummy, I'm scared." Merida whispered.

She took Merida's face in her hands and made her daughter look her in the eyes. "You remember why you are doing this?"

Merida nodded, but she began to sob.

"Why? Tell me why?"

"For my people. For Hiccup's people. For the slaves." Merida panted as a stray curl fell in front of her eyes.

"Why are they important?"

"Because they need to be free." Merida said, she focused on the memory of Aibhlinn's clothes, that stray curl of hair, and those reasons. Slowly, she was able to get a grip on herself again.

"Yes. That's right. They have waited a long time for freedom, and who is the only one able to give it too them?"

"I am." Merida whispered as she breathing slowed.

"That's right. You can do this for them."

"I will."

"Better?" asked the mother as she felt her daughter calm.

"Yes. Yes, keep going." said Merida, and Maudie and Elinor quickly wrapped the rest of her body.

"Thank you Maudie, Mum. I love you." said Merida as they were almost finished.

"I love you too, princess." said Maudie.

"I love you too, my dearest perfect daughter." said Elinor as she kissed her daughter one last time before gagging her daughter and wrapping Merida's head, then she loosed Merida's hair and arranged it nicely, then with a nod, signaled Maudie to activate the hidden mechanism that raised Merida into place and darkened the room.

Maudie came next to Elinor, nervously twiddling her hands in front of her, looking back and forth to the princess and the queen.

"Merida, are you okay?" called Elinor.

There was a muffled affirmative from the princess.

"Good, he should be here shortly. I love you and I am hoping you'll be hearing those words again very soon." said Elinor as she slung her bow and quiver around her as she and Maudie left the dark room.

King Hiccup was standing across the field from the castle and was keeping an eye on the combined might of the Scotland. At his back was the might of the Vikings. The dragons were sunning themselves on the walls of the castle, they would be sitting out this fight. The sun was shaded by a thick cloud just then, there were large fluffy white clouds moving ponderously in the sky.

Hiccup was a little annoyed with this spectacle, he had just wanted a simple little wedding, like his Dad. But no, this was a state marriage with ceremony and tradition, though what tradition there could be for the wedding of the first Viking king and Scottish Princess eluded him. The Scots had set everything up including their tradition of betrothal games and it was now a grand melee with the objective of him finding his bride in the castle. The actual marriage ceremony was going to be a mix of Viking and Scottish traditions.

After talking with the Skivvy Scroungers, he found they were a rag-tag bunch that BigEars had assembled over the last couple of years. BugEars had made lots of promises he was in no position to keep anymore. Now most of them wanted to return to their tribes, so Hiccup and the lawspeaker had dissolved the tribe and taken the slaves into his own tribe to be returned to their own homes. He had their chains cut but their collars would be removed after the wedding as a gesture of reconciliation. He looked and saw them coming off the last longboats, and moving to the wedding field.

Hiccup saw Maudie wave the signal banner flag above the battlements of Castle DunBroch. "Okay. Remember everyone; keep to the rules of engagement, and get me into the castle. Let's go." He hefted his heavy shield and wooden sword and charged across the field.

His dad, Gobber, Astrid and the rest of the gang were near him, as they approached the Scottish line he could see Fergus, Lord MacGuffin and the other clan-lords. He could see Stoic and Fergus eyeing each other as they trotted across the field.

There were rules in effect to simulate combat while hopefully keeping the injuries to a minimum. This was supposed to be a wedding, not an actual raid. The chains on his belt banging into his thigh annoyed him though. Why Elinor had insisted on those was a mystery to him. Enslaving his future wife was not why he had done all this. But Elinor said there was a reason for that which will be shown later.

They were getting close, the Scots charged forward. Hiccup had his shield up.

Then everyone, but him, put on a burst of speed and ran into the opposing lines and the melee began.

Hiccup found himself in the middle of a whirling chaos. Astrid was beating the snot out of some skinny guy with blue tattoos and black hair. Fishlegs and Kevin were dancing around each other. Snotlout was having a hard time of it as a kid with a shock of white hair was chewing on his arm. Hiccup could tell the kid had gone berserk, that could be a problem, but he saw Hunk and the twins coming to help.

Hiccup bashed a few warriors as he looked for a way to the gates. A hole opened up and he reached the castle gates. He looked back and he could see his dad and Fergus slugging away at each other. That might take a while to resolve.

# # #

Hiccup entered the dragon covered castle. There was a path of red flower pedals on the floor. Hiccup knew that was out of place enough to follow. As he stalked down into the bowels of the quiet castle, it reminded him of following a blood trail. The thought that he was following the blood trail of his future wife made him shiver.

It was nuts to do this but his dad told him some powerful people are traditionalists and they liked the idea. It would make the end of the raids go down easier. He came around a corner and found Elinor armed with a bow. He stopped, the slave chains on his belt clanked in the quiet, her eyes flicked to them and hardened. Hiccup hefted his heavy wooden shield and wooden sword, but knew it wouldn't stop one of her arrows.

"Who goes there!"

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III."

"Why are you here?"

"To claim my bride and to bring peace between our peoples." He said the words that had been specified in the treaty.

"What have you done to prove your worth?"

"I have trained the dragons, killed the Red and Green Deaths and joined the tribes of my people into one." Another prepared question and answer.

"Do you love Merida?"

"I... Wait, what?" That wasn't one of the questions. He was supposed to say I would join our peoples too, to explain what he was doing here.

"Do you love Merida?" The question was urgent as Elinor fully drew her bow, he saw the calmness in her eyes. If he answered this wrong he would die. There was no defense against her.

Hiccup dropped his sword and shield. "I don't know. You and she showed me the paths into my heart. I don't think I've found my way yet. I would like to try."

Elinor held the bow steady for a very long time considering. Hiccup was amazed at how long she could hold it without shaking. Then she lowered her bow.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, you may try to claim your bride." Elinor opened the heavy wooden door.

"Um, Thanks." But then he wondered about how she said that. What did she mean ...try?

The door thudded close behind him and the darkness had him as the sound of a heavy bar slid home behind him.


	16. The Wedding

Raided: Chapter 15: The Wedding

The door shut behind Hiccup and the room went dark. He heard the bar slide into place, and his heart began to race again.

Elinor had told him that all he had to do was retrieve Merida from the dungeon during a mock raid. The idea seemed a bit odd, but it made a weird kind of sense, most of the interactions between the Viking and the Highlands had been raids and they were acknowledging that.

Hiccup was hoping that there wouldn't be too many injuries. Elinor had confided in him that she was hoping this would also tire everyone so the new couple could have a quiet night together.

Elinor had just locked him into this dark room. Merida was in here somewhere, but how to find her. He waited as his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. The slave chain on his belt clanked gently.

He started as he heard some rocks start rolling nearby. There was a thump and a window opened. There in the beam of sunlight was a white cocoon topped with wild red hair.

"Merida?" Hiccup whispered.

"Merida!" He shouted and the cocoon wiggled.

Another rock thudded and more light entered the room. The room was filled with a huge array of troughs, ropes, pulleys and his eyes widened at all the ballistas pointed at his bride. Their arms beginning to cock.

Hiccup turned and beat on the door, "Beard of Thor, what have you done!"

"Save her if you love her. I know you can," came the reply. Hiccup looked around panicked. There were too many rolling rocks spreading through the room to stop them. His small knife wouldn't be enough to cut many of the ropes, but cutting them might be wrong. It was like a huge version of one of Gobber's tavern puzzles.

Hiccup pushed at some of the machinery but it was too solidly built and too heavy for him to move. He grabbed a counterweight and that stopped one of them, but he couldn't reach all the others. He grabbed at the arrows but he couldn't reach. He spun in place under Merida, looking for a solution. He looked down, then up and down again.

"Flames!" He hoped the obvious solution was the correct one.

There were ropes suspending Merida above the floor, but they were lost in the darkness as he searched for the ends to lower her.

He found boards left on the floor. He looked back to Merida and the machinery around her. Heavy rock balls falling to the ground counting down to the time of her death. He grabbed them up and placed them on the machinery and climbed in front of her, it placed him between her and some of the arrows but he could reach the ropes suspending her.

"I'm here, Merida. I am going to get you free." Hiccup said holding her and the white cocoon wiggled a little. He started sawing through the ropes. As each one came free she dropped a little, but it was taking so much time as the machinery was tightening and rocks dropping.

He was down to the last rope, if he got it cut she would drop to the ground and be safe, that's all that mattered. He wouldn't have time to get out of the way. One ballista he could see easily was almost fully cocked and it would cut him in half.

"Merida. I love you." He said quietly as the knife finally sawed through the final rope. Merida dropped free, the rope was under tension and quickly slithered into the ceiling Hiccup tried to jump after her but a heavy bump threw him onto the plank he was standing on. He could see all the ballista fully cock. Another heavy bump and he rolled as the ballista all fired into the space he and Merida had been occupying. The heavy arrows shattered against the far wall. Hiccup landed on Merida. Quickly he unwrapped her face.

"Merida, are you okay?" he asked as she spit out the gag.

"Yes. Oh yes. You did it. Thank you. I love you too."

And they kissed with all their hearts.

# # #

Maudie blew a horn to signal the end of the melee. Banners flapped and drooped in the occasional gusty winds.

Queen Elinor pulled open the doors to the castle.

The clans and the tribes were almost done fighting. She found Fergus and Stoic still going at it. Not with swords and shields but with their fists, trading blow for blow on their bloodied faces. Surrounded in awe by the brutal forces they were trading.

"You know, I'm exhausted," said Fergus as he heard the gates open.

"Yeah. Me too," replied Stoic and they fell into each other's arms and hugged.

They then supported each other to the dais set up on the other end of the field, forging a path between the two tired armies. They sat on their thrones.

Queen Elinor of Scotland walked the path in a stately elegant manner. Her face calm, she was as regal and majestic as she ever was and every one respected the power she was. It was a challenge to maintain that, knowing how her daughter would come behind her.

"Are you ready?" asked Hiccup, not looking at his new bride, deeply uncomfortable about the whole situation, she said she would explain later.

"I'm trying, but we are out of time." Merida was taking deep breathes trying not to pant.

"I'm sorry. This wasn't what I expected or anything."

"I know. It's okay. I'll be fine. It was my idea. I didn't think it would be quite that intense, though. I know how they feel now, and I never want anyone to feel this again." She had had to convince him to lock the slave chains around her. The iron was slowly warming from her skin. She wanted to scratch her nose but she couldn't, the shackles on her wrists kept them near her waist.

"Me neither, on either side. You are so brave."

"Thank you. Let's free them."

"Okay." Hiccup stepped into the light holding the leash that went to the iron collar around Merida's neck. He took short slow steps so the shackles around her ankles wouldn't trip her.

Merida was trying to maintain the calmness and serenity that she had used to stop the war between the clans that had nearly broken out in the throne room.

Merida wore the slave chain as the finest jewelry and her hair like royal robes. She had taken into herself all the serenity she could, though it wavered around the edges so much. Part of her was screaming for all she was worth. The Scots on one side, her people had fought and ceremonially lost and she could see that it didn't sit well with some of them.

On the other side were the Viking tribes they had cheered and hooted as she was led out, but they were beginning to quiet as Hiccup glared at them to quell them and she maintained her majesty. She had stopped a war between the clans with a serene walk and mostly quiet words.

Soon the other Viking teens were there surrounding them. The boys ahead and the girls behind. Young MacGuffin and even MacIntosh soon joined them.

Her heart softened a bit for Wee who was being restrained by Hunk Dingwall and his father, with Hunk's wife, her nurse maid Maudie trying to calm him.

Merida stopped and that forced Hiccup to stop as the chain came to the end. She turned and knelt before Wee, which gave her enough slack to reach out to her former suitor with her chained hands. Wee was fighting being held down by Hunk and his father.

"It's okay, I do this for all of us."

Wee struggled with all his might one last time, lifting the two men, straining with all his might, but they were too heavy and he collapsed.

"Please, stop fighting. It's okay. I'll be fine." Merida pleaded, worried he would hurt himself. She looked into Wee's eyes. He whined like a hurt dog as she stroked his brow. Wee dropped his head into the dirt and wept.

"My good wee lamb," said Merida as she stood and continued on.

Merida and Hiccup mounted the stairs to the dais before the people. They stood before her father the king, Stoic and the other clan lords and tribal chieftains. Merida did not meet anyone's eyes but turned before the crowd. Silence reigned.

Hiccup and Merida moved to the anvil that had been placed on the dais.

Merida knelt and placed the lock on the anvil.

Hiccup lifted a hammer and chisel.

"Merida Dunbruch and all Scotland! Be free!" Hiccup shouted and with a mighty blow from his hammer, shattered the lock to held the chains on his bride. The chains fell away and Merida was freed. Hiccup helped her to her feet.

Queen Elinor came up beside her with her new tartan, one that represented the new alliance.

Hiccup wrapped the tartan around her hips and across her chest and over her shoulder. Merida was Scotland for this ceremony. He then slung her quiver across her waist and handed her her bow.

"I am Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Son of Stoic of the Hairy Hooligans. I am chief of chiefs of the Viking tribes. " Hiccup announced as had been arranged.

"I am Merida. Firstborn of Clan DunBroch. I am a princess" She flung out her hands and looked up, closing her eyes. Just then a blast of wind hit her raising her hair and tartan, but she held her pose. She heard whispers of Freya and Morrigan, Norse and Scottish goddesses of both war and love. She left warm sunlight on her skin and face.

She opened her eyes.

Merida alone was hit with a thin blazing beam of sunlight. Her flowing hair glowed like a bonfire, her pale skin dazzled them all, her tartan streaming around her. She was like a goddess embodied.

The gust of wind had pushed the crowd and the momentum of it ran through the tightly packed assemblage forcing everyone to take a step the wave built until it forced the ones in the front ranks to their knees. The ones behind seeing them bend the knee thought it was part of the ceremony and bowed the knee as well the wave flowed backwards thru the crowd.

Everyone was kneeling to her. Hundreds of dragons took flight and circled the field, many of them emitting flares of flame.

Hiccup lifted the slave chains over his head.

"No more raids, no more slaves." said Hiccup. "I will forge this last chain into something new. Not a sword, not a shield, but a plate that we may shared our food like brothers."

The words flowed over the crowd. Scot and Viking looked at each other and then cheered.

Their families came up next to them. Fergus and Stoic handed their children swords which they placed on each other's hips. Elinor and Ingrid handed rings to their children which they place on each other's hands. The witch bound their hands together, and they jumped over the broom together, the witch giving Merida wink as she did.

With the wedding complete, the feast began!

# # #

It was the biggest wedding feast ever, but Struan didn't care. The food would be ashes on his tongue. He was looking through the massive crowd hoping to find his sister or the girl he cared about.

Struan was walking down the line of slaves. He had had to work his way across the huge field filled with people to reach the line. King Hiccup had called for the slaves to line up so he could release them from their chains.

Struan had many bruises but he had defeated several Vikings in the melee.

Struan had started at the end and was working his way to the front looking for his sister and the girl he loved. He could see some of the slaves were pregnant and other carried children. Some were dressed well and others not so much.

He had seen a few slaves reunited with their families, but he had not found his own. He could hear Hiccup breaking the locks and Merida welcoming the slaves.

He came up to some that looked to have been dressed in discarded turnip sacks near the front of the line. A starved looking girl carrying a baby on her hip turned, idly looked around.

"Struan. Struan!" She waved.

He could not believe it. It was Aideen.

"Aideen." He stumbled over to his sister and took her gently into his arms. He could hardly recognize her. Her hair was so short, and she was so thin. The heavy bronze collar around he neck made his heart burn with anger still. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I tried to do something."

"It's okay. It's okay. You found me. We are together again."

They wept together for several minutes as the line slowly moved. The baby began to cry because her mum was crying.

"Struan, this is Helga. She's my baby."

"Oh," said Struan, his heart breaking some more. "Hi, Helga. I'm your Uncle Struan."

Aideen looked around, bit her her lip and asked, "Mum? Da?"

Struan just shook his head, and the line moved forward a little more.

"Oh."

"Aibhlinn?"

"Yes, she's here." Aideen said, her face lit up because it was something that was good, but the look faded. "I'm sorry, but they hurt her, they broke her. They broke all of us through her. She isn't the same." Aideen warned.

"I don't care. I need to see her."

"Come. She's at the front of us, we want her to be freed first. I was at the end to make sure none were forgotten." Aideen lead her to her front of the former slave brides of the Skivvy Scrounger tribe, where a thin girl was being supported by two others.

"Aibhlinn, look who found us. My brother Struan."

Struan's heart broke; Aibhlinn was almost skeletally thin and covered with scars. The heavy bronze collar fit so loosely around her neck, but it looked to be weighing so heavily on her. Then she lifted her head and looked at him and Struan's heart broke all over again, her eyes seemed so empty.

Struan felt to his knees in front of her. "I'm so sorry. I went to King Fergus and begged his help. I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry I didn't do more. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"It's okay." Aibhlinn whispered.

"No, it isn't."

"It's okay."

"No, you're not, but I'll help you be okay again." He said cupping her face making her look at him.

"Y-you care?" she stammered.

"Yes, I care. Aibhlinn, I love you."

"You can't. I'm bad. I'm ugly. I'm broken."

"Yes. I can. I love you no matter what."

"But..."

"No buts. I love you. I was going to ask to walk out with you on your birthday."

"Really?" light began to return to those brown eyes.

"Really. Actually, I asked your father for your hand, he asked me to wait for your birthday and a proper walking out period."

"Dada?" Aibhlinn asked, looking around.

"I'm sorry." He shook his head.

"I knew. I saw Dada be speared and Mum fall into the fire."

"Oh. I buried them properly for you." He said trying to console her.

"Thank you."

Then it was their turn before King Hiccup.

"Struan! Did you find her?" Hiccup asked. Merida was looking hopeful.

"Yes," Struan smiled. "This is Aibhlinn, my beloved."

"Oh, that's so sweet." said Merida, but her eyes were filled with compassion toward the thin girl.

"So this is the girl who started all this." said Hiccup gesturing to the field.

"What?" asked Aibhlinn, her sunken, bloodshot eyes coming up.

"Struan came to us, asking for help to rescue you." explained Merida.

"When they captured me they told me of your plight." said Hiccup.

"We came up with this solution to save you and everyone." said Merida.

"All this...For me?" asked Aibhlinn in a tiny voice.

"Yes, for you." assured Hiccup.

Aibhlinn began sobbing uncontrollably. Merida, Aideen, Hiccup and Struan hugged her tight as she wept herself out.

"How? What? Why can you love me?"

"Because he loved you and came to us to help you." said Hiccup gesturing to Struan. "Here, let me get this collar off you."

Merida placed the bronze lock on the anvil, Hiccup placed a steel chisel on the hasp.

"Aibhlinn, be free!"

Hiccup struck with a heavy hammer, and shattering the lock. He put down his tools and took the collar from the girl's throat.

Merida lifted her up, hugged her and said, "Welcome home. Aibhlinn."

Aibhlinn was sobbing, hardly believing she was free.

"Aibhlinn," said Hiccup considering the collar in his hand. "I will make this a part of my crown so we will always remember you."

"Please, remember that she was brave. She was so brave." said Aideen and the rest nodded too.

"And you are...?" asked Hiccup.

"This is Aideen, my sister." said Struan.

"Please, we are all sisters now after what we have done for each other." Aibhlinn said gesturing to the women in their tattered sackcloths. Light and fire had returned to her eyes.

"Princess, I would consider you my sister too, for what you did to free us." Aibhlinn said shyly.

"I am most honored. I always wanted a sister." smiled Merida.

"I guess we are going to have to hear your story, somehow I am not surprised that it is bigger then I thought. You are our special guests now." said Hiccup.

"Maudie!" Merida called. "Please, these women are our special guests and they need to be well taken of."

"Yes, mum." Maudie said.

"But first let us free them." Hiccup gestured to Aideen to take her place by the anvil.

"Aideen, be free!" The lock was broken.

"Welcome home, Aideen."

"King Hiccup, would you merry us please? We've been through so much and we would like to be together now. I don't want to lose him again." asked Aibhlinn as she took hold of Struan.

"Ah, sure. Um, you look, hm...okay I guess..." began King Hiccup awkwardly, looking at the bruised and disheveled Struan and rag-covered Aibhlinn. Repeating the words of the ceremony that had been burned into his brain forever.

"They look beautiful," corrected Queen Merida, giving her husband a nudge.

# # #

"So, now what?" asked Hiccup of Merida as they looked out over the remains of the party from atop the tower roof. The sun was setting and the stars were coming out. They had left because they were tired and things had been too much for Hiccup, he had needed some space and some quiet.

"Oh, they'll be partying for days, drinking, telling outrageous stories, showing off and singing." Said Merida, "I think I'll scream if I hear another chorus of "The Song of Mor'du" though."

Hiccup chuckled a bit, it was a song that was stuck in his head. "Fishlegs seems like he loves caber tossing. No, I mean, what about us? We're married now and I don't really know what to do about it or anything."

"Oh. Well, I guess I could take you to my room and show you, but I think we can do that some other time. We should spend a bit more time getting to know each other, for real."

"Good. I like you, and it's good being with you." Hiccup said awkwardly.

"Same here." said Merida, taking his hand; a companionable silence enveloped them. They lay down on the roof to look at the stars.

"What was with that crazy deathtrap thing you were in?" Hiccup asked as they relaxed at the end of a very long day. They were finally together and alone and enjoying each other's presence and that was more important then anything else.

"I needed to show you something." Merida said.

"Oh, what?"

"What do you think?"

Hiccup thought for a moment "You trusted me to rescue you. You expected me to succeed. You believed in me."

"Yes, and other things, too."

Hiccup thought, but was rather tired. "I'm sorry, what other things?"

"To love as strongly as you do. I became a slave for a short time to know what they felt, and I don't want anyone to feel that."

"No."

"That I can do hard things for your sake and the kingdom's sake. I faced my biggest fears: helplessness, dependency, death, and lack of freedom. Being so completely helpless and dependent on someone else was very scary. Even believing that you would rescue me. I didn't know if I was strong enough or brave enough for all this."

"You just gestured to all of me."

"Yes, I did," and she snuggled close to him.

"You are incredibly brave."

"Thank you."

Hiccup had no idea how to be a king, and the Vikings had no idea what to do with a king. Merida knew how to be a good queen and ruler. It took some effort for Merida and Hiccup to get the point across to the Viking chiefs that she was a force to be reckoned with, and that she would protect Hiccup from their pettiness. It took a couple of years before Merida could go to a meeting without her bow, but the Viking tribes eventually got the idea that she was a force to be reckoned with.

Hiccup learned quickly, though he still took time to be with Toothless so he would have time to think, and occasionally would hammer something out in the smithy, when it didn't feel like negotiations was getting them anywhere. One of Hiccup's major duties was to continue finding and training new dragons and new dragonriders, finding good reliable people was the biggest issue. Hiccup and Merida had to fight to retain control of the dragons from time to time.

Some nations paid tribute, others prepared to fight, though invasion never came. Others attacked to forestall invasions they felt were coming or for the desire for their own dragons. Hiccup and Merida often fought for peace and justice and in time the world calmed and became a good place to live and their children ruled well, because they lived in a hard land.

The story of Aibhlinn of Helmsdale and her sisters was heard, and hearts were touched. Hiccup and Merida made crowns that incorporated the collars of Aibhlinn and Aideen. Their stories were written in the records of the kingdom and epics made and told so none would forget.

Struan took Aibhlinn and Aideen and many of the others to a new home far from the sea, and they founded a village and they were happy again. It took a long time to work through the pain they had in their lives but they focused on the love. They made it a good place, that was filled with kindness and understanding and love.

Fishlegs and Lifa got married and everyone on Berk loved the bread they baked. Snotlout had some trouble with all the girls vying for his attention, he did have a cool dragon, but he settled down in Berk with a woman that his parents decided who was good for him. The twins moved to Scotland to stay together after she took a liking to young MacIntosh. Hiccup and Merida gave Astrid their blessings once she fell for Kevin MacGuffin. Young Dingwall had impressed many women with his devotion to Merida and a wife was found for him.

Once Merida trained her own dragon it became easy for her to visit her family. More then once Merida and Elinor would talk about the power of their crowns. Merida had a special place to put hers so she could spend time with her children and the dragons.

Berk was a land as untamed as the Highlands, summers were short and winters long, but it was a good land, because the King and Queen loved each other.

The End


End file.
